A Ghost Story
by FictionWriter91
Summary: Thanos was gone. Tony had snapped his gauntlet, and he knew the price he was going to pay. He welcomed death, only to wake up in his house with no one able to hear or see him except for one person. He has to figure out his unfinished business before he can move on, but he slowly discovers that he doesn't really want to go after all. Hurt/Comfort/Family/Friendship
1. Prologue

**Hi all! I'm back again. This time, I'm trying out a Tony Stark story. Maybe it's a silly idea, but please indulge me. I think you might like it. It's going to be sad, heartbreaking, funny, sweet, and possibly infuriating at times, but I hope you stick it out. I always enjoy writing ghost stories. I really hope you enjoy this story. This prologue made me bawl because of course I found the footage online and watched it again. Chapter One has some humor in it, though. I promise! Happy reading :)**

***I apologize if this idea has already been done before. I hope to make it different.**

* * *

**Prologue**

Time seemed to stand still when Tony looked over from Thanos to Dr. Strange and saw him hold up his finger, mouthing, "Just one." The realization hit him like a truck. It had to be him. He looked back over at Thanos, whose arms were flailing around as he yelled and roared at the other Avengers trying to stop him and pull off the gauntlet. He had to do it. Somehow, he knew this, but facing the reality suddenly choked him a little. Images of Pepper and Morgan crossed his mind. What would they do without him?

_What would they do if he didn't stop Thanos?_

That thought was more pressing, and he knew he had no other option. He surged forward, causing confusion to Thanos while he stripped him of all the Infinity Stones and put them in his own homemade gauntlet. He blasted out of the way, turning to watch Thanos get ready to snap.

"I am inevitable," Thanos sneered, moving to snap his finger. Nothing happened but a dull "clang" sound, and he looked at his hand, confused. Tony was out of breath and sore. He was emotional. He was tired. Thanos looked up at him, and Tony was glad to see a hint of fear in the ugly beast's eyes.

"And I," Tony started, breathing hard. "Am..." He thought about how much he was going to miss this place. He could see the people watching him, mouths open. He had to finish.

"Iron...Man," he finished, snapping his finger just as Thanos looked like he was going to lunge towards him. There was a blinding flash, and Tony felt incredible pain surge through his body. He fell, landing hard while the enemies around him began to disappear. He didn't remember anything else until Peter crashed on his knees before him.

"Mr. Stark? It's me, Peter. We won, Mr. Stark. You did it, sir," Peter said. He was crying as he looked at Tony, who could only imagine how terrible he looked. "I'm sorry. Please, Tony."

Tony wanted to tell him to not be sorry. He couldn't find his voice, though. The snap had taken everything from him. All he could do was sit and stare. Pepper reached down gently and moved Peter aside, kneeling before Tony then. He looked at his wife, and he wanted to tell her everything was going to be okay. He didn't get to tell her how pleased he was to see her wearing the suit he'd made her. He forced something to come out of his mouth. He had to.

"Hey, Pep," he said, barely audible, but she heard him. He wanted to add that he loved her, but he knew that she knew that.

"Tony," she whispered. He couldn't look at her. He couldn't stand the pain in her eyes. The grief.

"Look at me," she ordered. He obeyed. He couldn't not look at her anyway, pain in her eyes or not.

He wanted to tell her she was beautiful and brave and smart and that he wished there had been another way. He wished they had more time, but at the same moment, the time they did have together was perfect.

"We're gonna be okay," Pepper told him, nodding. She knew it all anyway. He was sure of it. He blinked, and she started to cry. He knew it was her way of telling him it was okay to go. He felt so tired.

_Don't cry_, he wanted to tell her. _I'll see you again. _

He felt a sensation then. It was time to go. Everything disappeared, and then it was dark.


	2. What the Damn Hell?

**Chapter One: What the Damn Hell?!**

Tony sat up gasping, clutching at his chest. His heart was racing, and his mind was whirling. At least, he thought they were. He looked around him, feeling strangely odd. Why the hell was there no heartbeat? And where was he? He was lying on the floor of some house.

"We're ready," Happy's voice said, making Tony spin his head. He was on the other side of the wall. His eyes focused. He was in his house. How did he get here?

"We're coming," Pepper replied.

"Pepper?" Tony said, alert now. He got to his feet and hurried to the master bedroom where Pepper was standing, donned in black and crying.

"Pepper! Oh, honey, I'm right here. Don't cry," Tony said, moving to touch her cheek. Instead of making contact, his hand went right through her. Pepper sneezed violently, making Tony cringe. A lot of nasty stuff had come flying out of her nose.

"Wait a minute," he said, looking at his hand. Was it...translucent? He peered at it harder.

"Come on, sweetie," Pepper said to Morgan, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. Pepper finished wiping her face and moved to the door, Morgan behind her. Pepper walked right through Tony, sneezing again. Tony stared at her. Morgan gave a small giggle.

"You all right?" Happy asked, appearing in the doorway.

"It must be allergies," she answered. She cleared her throat. "We're ready."

"Ready for what?" Tony asked, confused. He followed them out the door. He frowned as he noticed he was gliding, not walking.

"Everyone's here," Happy was saying as they walked.

"Oh, good," Pepper nodded.

"Everyone?" Tony asked. "Helloooo! Why are you ignoring me?" He stopped short, realizing he had just gone through the door without opening it. There was silence outside as everyone watched Pepper, Happy, and Morgan walk down to the lake.

"Oh shit," Tony said, realizing. "Oh no. No, no, no!" He hurried after them. He now saw what Pepper was holding in her hand. She bent to place it on the flowers on the water and pushed it off.

"Pepper!" he shouted. "I'm right here! I'm. Right. Heeeeere!" He jumped up and down, waving his arms. He watched his wife stand, wipe at her tears, and move back to watch.

"Oh God," Tony groaned. He was dead. This had to be a dream. If he was dead, though, then why was he still here? What the damn hell?!

"So you've just realized you're a ghost," a voice said.

"Gnyaaaa!" Tony shrieked, jumping and stumbling backwards.

"I know. It was a shock for me too," Coulson said, smiling a little grimly.

"C-C-Coulson?!" Tony spluttered.

"How's it going?" he asked casually.

"I'm dead!"

"Me too. You get used to it."

"What are you...? How are you...?" Tony tried.

"Oh, this? It's my new job. I run the Ghost Program."

"The what?!"

"Ghost Program. It's for those who are stuck here on Earth because of unfinished business."

"But...but I don't have any. My business was done. I'm supposed to be dead," Tony argued.

"Your ghostly appearance says otherwise," Coulson shrugged.

"Oh, come on! This is a nightmare! I can't sit here and watch my family mourn me! That's torture!"

"Then you better find out quick why you're still here," Coulson suggested.

"I don't know! Don't you have a book of answers? Wasn't there something about all will be revealed? Reveal it to me!" Tony demanded.

"You're not at that stage yet," Coulson replied.

"Not at...what are you saying?"

"Death has stages."

"Seriously?!"

"As I've learned, yes."

"So...so I'm stuck here."

"Yes."

Tony rubbed at his face angrily. Why was he still here? He had made the sacrifice to die and save humanity. What other freaking unfinished business could there be?!

"Come here, sweetheart," Happy said, picking up Morgan, who was crying a little. Tony felt his chest constrict, if that was even possible. He thought ghosts couldn't feel this sort of stuff. It hit him then, what his unfinished business was.

Morgan.

"You figured it out," Coulson noted, looking at him.

"But how am I supposed to finish Morgan?" Tony asked. "She...she's got years ahead of her."

"That's for you to figure out, not me," Coulson said, moving to leave.

"Now wait just a damn minute," Tony called after him. "You can't just drop a bomb on me and walk away!"

"Oh, spoiler alert, I just did," Coulson said.

"Coulson!"

Coulson disappeared into the light. Tony stamped his foot (to the best of his ability) in anger.

"I want to disappear too! Coulson!" he shouted.

"I just...I miss him so much," Peter was crying to Steve behind him. Tony stopped yelling a the sky then.

"I'm closer than you think, bud," Tony said, reaching to pat Peter's shoulder, making him sneeze.

"I'm sorry," Peter said to Steve.

"It's all right," Steve reassured him. His eyes were a bit wet too.

"Aw, Cap, don't start or I'll start," Tony said. Could ghosts cry? He wasn't sure.

"Thank you for coming, Harley," Pepper was saying to the teenage boy behind them. "Tony would have been glad you came."

"Harley?" Tony asked, surprised. "Wow, it's been a while." He had stayed in touch with the boy for a few years, but he lost touch around the time of the snap. He had never been sure if Harley had disappeared or not.

"AAHHCHYOOMINAGA!" Thor sneezed as he walked through Tony.

"Dude, you all right?" Rhodey asked, wrinkling his nose.

"I'm fine. Must be the pollen," Thor answered, sniffing hard. Tony was intrigued. Anyone he touched or touched him sneezed. This could be fun. He reached out to touch Thor again, and he promptly sneezed once more.

"Ha, ha," Tony laughed. He poked him again. More sneezing.

"I have allergy pills," Wanda suggested, coming up to them. Tony poked her too, and she sneezed.

"Oh, this is wonderful," Tony grinned. He started to rapidly touch and poke everyone within his reach, making them all sneeze. The faster he poked, the more sneezes in a row they did. It was exhilarating, almost better than a video game.

"What's going on over here?" Steve asked, concerned. Tony stopped his fun. He knew he was ruining the mood of his own funeral, which was supposed to be somber.

"No idea," Thor answered, his eyes watering.

"I'm going inside," Wanda said, rushing away. Rhodey backed away as though Thor was the root of the problem. Tony snorted.

"Maybe it's a cold going around," Steve said. "Everyone seems to be sneezing today."

"I need a beer," Thor said, not responding.

"Why? Your beer gut is complete," Tony called after him, knowing he wouldn't be heard. He turned to see everyone hugging Pepper and talking to her as they dispersed. Morgan was sitting off to the side picking at her dress. He went to sit beside her. Hover? He looked, seeing that he was touching the ground in some way. He missed Morgan so much. He wished he had made more videos for her. He had made a few in case something had happened to him. It was just something he did. Pepper had a whole library of them.

"Well, kiddo, it looks like you're the reason I'm still here," Tony sighed. He wanted to touch her, but something about making her sneeze just wasn't appealing. He felt his throat tighten. He guessed it was possible for a ghost to feel human things like that.

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do," he went on. "I don't know if I'm supposed to watch you grow up or tell you something profound, not that you can hear me anyway. I guess I just have to figure it out. You're stuck with me." He looked at her fondly, wishing he could kiss her forehead. She turned to look at him intently, her eyes searching his. Tony's brow furrowed. Was she...looking at him? Then:

"Okay, Daddy."

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**How was that? Should I continue?**

**P.S. The whole sneezing thing is borrowed from the movie Ghost Town.**


	3. My Child Can Talk to Ghosts

**I was really pleased to see the response to this story! **

**Just some administrative things before we get going:**

**1\. I was not aware that Coulson was brought back to life as I don't have cable TV and thus didn't see it on the SHIELD show, so for the purpose of this story he died in the first Avengers movie and stayed dead.**

**2\. While I appreciate the time it took to write down an idea for me to incorporate into my story, I will not be using ideas from readers as I have a plan for this story already. It was a good, comical idea, though. Thank you.**

**3\. I usually write this in all my other stories so will add it now. I love reviews and always enjoy hearing your thoughts, but the only thing I ask is that you don't predict what I'm doing next or what direction I'm taking the story in. Great minds think alike, and if you guess something I already have planned, I feel I can't write it because it's no longer my idea/plan for the story and then I can't finish it.  
**

**4\. A BIG thank you to those who have reviewed! I'm glad I was able to represent Coulson in true form. He's one of my favorite characters ;)**

**Okay, enough of my chatter. On with the chapter! Happy reading :)**

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**Chapter Two: My Child Can Talk to Ghosts**

Tony stared at his five year old daughter, who was looking back at him calmly.

"Did you...did you just talk to me?" he asked.

"Uh huh," she nodded.

"You can see me?"

"Yup."

"How many fingers?" Tony asked, holding up three.

"Three," she answered proudly.

"What am I wearing?" he asked.

"Shirt and jeans," she answered. He looked. He was wearing jeans and a long sleeve navy shirt. Imagine that.

"This isn't a dream?"

"Nope," she shook her head.

"Oh shit," Tony breathed.

"You said that was Mommy's word," Morgan said accusingly.

"Ahh, you're right," Tony said. "I'm sorry."

"Mommy is sad."

"I know, sweetheart."

"She'll be happy that you're here!" Morgan said gleefully, getting to her feet.

"Ah, no, no, no," Tony said, making her stop. "No, honey, don't tell Mommy."

"Why not?"

"It will upset her."

"Why?"

"I...I don't know. Just don't, okay? It'll be our secret."

"Okay."

"Promise?" Tony asked.

"Promise."

"Morgan!" Pepper called. Tony held a finger to his lips, making Morgan giggle and nod before running towards Pepper. Tony sat there shocked.

_My child can talk to ghosts_, he thought. _Imagine that._

What the blue blazes was going on around here?!

….

Tony sat on the front steps of his home. Every person who left walked through him and sneezed. The joy of that was gone, though. Tony didn't know what to do or think. Could anyone else see him? It gave him an idea.

"Take care, Peter," Pepper was saying. "Please call if you need anything."

"Thank you, Mrs. Stark," Peter replied. He went to go down the steps. Tony jumped to his feet.

"Hey!" he shouted, waving. Peter ignored him, walking down and onto the lawn. "Peter!"

No answer. He got into the car where his Aunt May was waiting. They drove away.

"Hm," Tony mused, rubbing his chin. He had been sure Peter would hear him. They had a connection after all. Then again, he had a connection with Pepper too, and she couldn't either. Maybe that wasn't how this worked.

"You know, it's like he's still here," Thor was saying to Steve as they approached where Tony was standing.

"That's because I am here, genius," Tony responded.

"I'm just glad things were good between us before it happened," Steve commented, his hands in his pockets as they walked.

"What are you going to do now?"

"I have to return the stones. You?"

"I...I don't really want to go back to New Asgard," Thor said. "I'm not sure what I want to do."

"I am Groot," a voice said in the distance.

"I see dying didn't change your teenage attitude," Rocket replied, annoyed. Bickering ensued.

"Those guys seem cool," Thor said, looking at them.

"Those guys?" Tony asked, watching. "Seriously?"

"New adventure?" Steve asked Thor, smiling at him. Thor laughed back.

"Yea. Maybe."

"I guess this is the end of the road," Steve said, stopping by his motorcycle. Tony wondered why he would drive that thing to a funeral. Maybe it was the only vehicle he had.

"It was wonderful to fight with you again," Thor commented. They shook hands until Thor pulled him into a quick embrace with a final, manly pat on the back.

"Take care," Steve said.

"You as well," Thor replied.

"Eat some lettuce or something," Steve told him as Thor was walking away. They both smirked. Tony chuckled. He couldn't help but get a feel that this was a final goodbye between the god and the super soldier. What was Steve up to?

"Morgan!" Pepper's voice called. Tony and Steve both turned to see the little girl racing over to them.

"Hey, you," Steve said to her. She ignored him.

"Daddy, come on. It's dinner time," Morgan said to Tony, who froze. Steve froze as well, looking at the space beside Morgan where she was looking up at.

"Uh oh," Tony muttered.

"Hey, sweetheart," Steve said, kneeling in front of her. "You see your Daddy?"

"Yea. He's right there," Morgan answered, pointing at Tony. Steve looked right at him, but Tony knew he couldn't see him.

"Morgan, we said it was our secret remember?" Tony prompted.

"Oh, right," Morgan nodded. "It's our secret."

"Are you talking to him?" Steve asked gently. His curiosity was peaked now. Morgan sucked on her cheeks, debating what to say. Tony shook his head at her.

"I have to go now," Morgan said, running away. Steve stayed on his knee, watching her. Then he looked over at Tony.

"If you're really here," he said. "Then I can only imagine how hard this must be for you."

"You have no idea," Tony replied. Steve exhaled loudly and stood up, mounting his bike.

"You were a good friend, and I miss you," Steve finished. He waited a moment before starting it and driving away.

"I'll miss you too," Tony said to the wind.

….

"I love you 3,000," Morgan whispered as she closed her eyes to sleep. Tony felt his heart wrench then. He wanted to hold her and cuddle her. He wanted to touch her without making her nose explode. He wanted to be able to actually be there for her, not just as a damn ghost. Pepper had tucked her in, and he had come in to say goodnight. Now, he went out to the living room where Pepper was sitting and staring at the wall. He sat down next to her. She shivered and pulled her sweater around her tighter.

"I wish you could hear me," he said. She bowed her head. "I love you so much. I know you said you're going to be okay, but it doesn't feel like you're okay. What pisses me off the most is that I'm actually still here, but you don't know it."

"Tony," she whispered, making him stop short. Could she hear him?!

"Yea?" he encouraged. She started to cry.

"I miss you."

She buried her face into her hands, sobbing now. Tony refrained from touching her. He could only sit and watch. It broke his heart. After a few minutes, she showed no signs of slowing down with her mourning, so he got up angrily and went outside.

"COULSON!" he roared at the sky. "Get down here!"

Silence answered him. Infuriated, he paced around muttering and swearing to himself. Why was he here? What was his purpose with Morgan? How long would he be here? What the hell was going on?! He didn't know if he was going to be able to survive this. How was he going to do anything when the only person who could communicate with him was a five year old girl?

"Coulson!" he tried again.

Still nothing.

He sat down on the steps of his home, hearing Pepper still crying and knowing his daughter was sound asleep. He had suddenly never felt so alone and helpless.

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**As always, I love reviews! They motivate me to write :)**


	4. I'm Not Alone Here

**Chapter Three: I'm Not Alone Here. **

Tony opened his eyes to find it was morning. If he slept, he wasn't sure. Did ghosts sleep? He had no idea. He went inside to watch his family start a new day without him. It was rather depressing.

"Can we go to the park?" Morgan asked Pepper, who was pushing around her breakfast on her plate. Morgan had practically inhaled hers. She got her appetite from Tony.

"Sure, honey," Pepper answered absently.

"You'll come too, right?" Morgan asked Tony, who shook his head furiously. Her eyes widened then, realizing what she had done. Pepper looked at her funny.

"Of course I'm coming," she said, laughing a little. "How else are you gonna get there?"

"I thought maybe you'd have Happy take me," Morgan said, recovering fast. Tony was impressed that his daughter was quick on her feet. Another trait she must have gotten from him. Well, she got it from both of them actually.

"Oh. No, no. I'll go. Let me get changed first," Pepper said, smiling at Morgan. She got up and threw the rest of her food out, putting the plate in the sink and going to her bedroom. Morgan beamed at Tony.

"See, Daddy? I didn't ruin our secret," she said proudly.

"Good job," Tony said.

"You are gonna come, though, right?"

"Of course. I'd never miss a day at the park with you."

She grinned, and Tony felt a stab of guilt then. Of course he wasn't going to be there forever and spend days at the park with her. How could he have said that? She didn't seem to notice, though, as she ran to get her shoes on. He went out to the car, sitting in the backseat. At least he could sit on solid things. It was something he could control, he discovered, so he could choose to go through walls or sit on a seat. He was still getting a hang of the mechanics of ghostdom. Morgan beamed at him when she got into the car. Pepper buckled her into her seat and shut the door.

"Will you play hide and seek with me?" Morgan whispered loudly as Pepper walked around to the driver's side.

"Sure," Tony agreed. He gave a small snort of laughter to himself after. Morgan wanted to play hide and seek with a ghost. It was just too funny.

...

"No more," Tony said, feeling tired. "Go play with the other kids for a bit." After playing almost twenty plus rounds of hide and seek, he was done.

"Okay," Morgan said happily, rushing off to join the other kids on the swings. Tony went to sit beside Pepper, who was flipping through a book. Tony didn't think she was actually reading it, though. She closed it, sighing and looking up at Morgan. It had been tricky playing the game with her watching, but they had pulled it off.

"I wish you were here," Pepper said suddenly, startling Tony. He looked at her. "I wish we could have just one more lazy day together being a family. I know it's crazy, but I sometimes feel you're still here with us." She chuckled to herself before dissolving into tears again. Tony debated for half a second at getting Morgan to tell her he really was there, but he didn't want her to be scared or think Morgan was lying. As much as it hurt, he decided to let it be.

"It's hard isn't it?" a voice asked him. He spun to see a man in his twenties standing there looking at him.

"You can see me?" Tony asked, surprised.

"Of course. Ghosts can see other ghosts," the man scoffed. Peering closer at him, Tony finally did see that the man was indeed a ghost.

_So...I'm not alone here._

"Oh, sorry," he said out loud.

"It's all right," the man sighed.

"Why are you here?" Tony asked, looking around. He hoped to God there was a kid here that belonged to this guy, that he wasn't some pervert.

"My son is over there," the man replied, pointing. Tony saw the boy was playing with Morgan. They were about the same age. Tony noticed a younger woman sitting by herself watching them. He assumed it was the mother.

"I'm Ben," the man said.

"Tony."

"Nice to meet you," Ben nodded.

"Are there more of us?" Tony asked.

"Oh, yea. Lots of us are still here trying to finish our business before we move on."

"You're so young," Tony blurted out. It was bothering him.

"Yea," Ben sighed. He rubbed at his head. "I was involved in something I shouldn't have been."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I should have known better. I just wanted to make sure my family was looked after, you know?"

"Were you murdered?" Tony wanted to know. He didn't know why.

"In a way, yea. I got double crossed after a robbery, and they left me to die in the street," Ben answered sadly. "Poor Jenny had to see me like that, all battered and bruised and shot up. She identified me. I feel horrible about that. I feel even worse that she thinks it was a random street crime. She has no idea."

"So what do you think your unfinished business is?" Tony inquired.

"It's probably getting her to find out what really happened to me. That has to be it," Ben replied. "What about you? What happened to you?"

"I died saving the world," Tony answered casually.

"Wait," Ben said, looking at him properly now. "You...you're Tony Stark. Iron Man!"

"Yea."

"I knew you were familiar!" Ben exclaimed. "Wow. You...wow. I'm a big fan."

"Thanks," Tony said. Morgan ran over to them then.

"Oh God," Ben groaned. "It's so hard that you're so close to them and they can't even see or hear you." Tony raised a brow, bracing himself for what was going to come next.

"Daddy? Who's your friend?" Morgan asked, looking at both of them. Ben stood there frozen.

"This is Ben," Tony replied. "We just met."

"Wait...what?" Ben asked, genuinely confused and a little freaked out.

"Hi, Ben," Morgan chirped.

"H-H-Hi," he said back.

"I made a new friend," Morgan said to Tony, oblivious to Ben's reaction. "His name is Billy. He's sad cos his Daddy died too." She looked at Ben carefully then. "Are you Billy's Daddy?"

"Um...yea," Ben answered.

"Why can't he see you?" Morgan asked, confused.

"I don't think everyone has your gift, honey," Tony told her. He saw Pepper watching Morgan curiously. "Go play, Morgan. Mommy is watching."

"Okay," Morgan said, running back to Billy.

"What the hell was that?" Ben asked, shocked still.

"My daughter can obviously see ghosts and talk to them," Tony replied.

"Does your wife know?"

"No. I don't want to freak her out or think Morgan is having mental problems. It's our secret."

"I'd give anything to talk to Billy...or even Jenny," Ben said, getting emotional now.

Tony knew better than to offer Morgan's services to him. Once the word got out to the other ghosts that she was doing favors and talking to families, she'd never be left alone. He didn't want that for her.

"Billy!" Jenny called, waving to him. "Time to go!"

"Will I see you again?" Ben asked Tony.

"Possibly."

"Well...take care," he said, going after his family. Tony followed Morgan over to Pepper.

"Who was that you were playing with?" Pepper asked her.

"Billy. His Daddy died too," Morgan answered.

"Oh, dear," Pepper said, looking after Jenny. "She's so young..."

"Mommy? Where do you think Daddy is?" Morgan asked.

"What are you doing?" Tony questioned.

"Oh...sweetie I...I think he's in a good place," Pepper replied, kneeling before Morgan.

"Like here?" Morgan asked.

"Hey," Tony said. "Stop it."

"I think he's in a much better place than here," Pepper told her. She touched Morgan's cheek. "You miss him a lot, just like me."

"Do you believe in...?" Morgan started.

"Don't," Tony warned, feeling panicked.

"Pepper! Hey!" Steve's voice called, making all three of them turn around.

"Steve," Pepper said, puzzled. "What are you doing here?"

Steve Rogers stopped in front of her, taking in the scene before him. It had been bothering him all night that Morgan could potentially be seeing and talking to Tony. For whatever reason, he had to know if it was true.

"Happy told me where to find you. I just...I just wanted to see how you were holding up," Steve said.

"Oh. That's kind of you," Pepper responded. "We...we're okay. Just having a park day."

"That's fun," Steve said, smiling at Morgan. Tony was suspicious. Why was Steve back? What was he up to? Pepper's phone rang then.

"Oh, shoot," she said, scrambling to find it. "Can you...do you mind watching Morgan for a second? I have to get this."

"Not a problem," Steve assured her. She flashed a small smile before answering the phone and walking away.

"Hi," Morgan said, looking up at him. He got down on his knees in front of her.

"Morgan, I have a very serious question to ask you," Steve started.

"Don't tell him anything," Tony ordered. Now he knew why Steve was there. He was confirming his suspicions.

"Okay," Morgan nodded.

"Okay to him or okay to me?" Tony asked.

"Do you see your Daddy? Do you talk to him?" Steve asked her. She paused, looking nervous. She flicked her eyes to where Tony was standing, and Steve caught it.

"It's okay," he encouraged. "You said yesterday that he was beside me. It's okay if you do see him."

"Morgan..." Tony warned. She swallowed.

"You believe me?" she asked Steve.

"Ah, damn it," Tony swore.

"That's a swear!" Morgan said, looking at Tony. Steve couldn't conceal his smirk. He could only imagine what Tony had said.

"Yes, Morgan, I believe you," Steve promised.

"Daddy said I can't tell Mommy," Morgan said seriously.

"That's a good idea," Steve agreed. "She might get upset."

"You threw me under the bus," Tony accused her. She giggled.

"Daddy's not happy I told you," she told Steve.

"It's all right, Tony," Steve said, looking at the space beside Morgan. "Are you well?"

"Sort of," Tony answered.

"Sort of," Morgan repeated.

"Coulson has me stuck here," Tony went on.

"Cole's son has him stuck here," Morgan echoed. Steve furrowed his brow.

"Cole's son?" he asked.

"No, no. Coulson. One word," Tony told Morgan.

"He said it's all one word," Morgan explained to Steve, whose face showed surprise.

"Coulson? Phil Coulson?"

"Yup," Tony sighed.

"Yea," Morgan nodded.

"Wow," Steve murmured.

"I don't know how long I'm going to be here," Tony admitted.

"You said you were going to be here forever!" Morgan said accusingly, looking at him.

"I never said that..."

Steve watched Morgan begin to cry, and he wondered what Tony was saying to her.

"It's all right," he soothed, pulling the little girl into a hug. "It's okay."

"Morgan, you know I'm right," Tony said gently.

"What's he saying?" Steve asked her. She sniffled and wiped at her face.

"He said he isn't going to be here forever," she told him tearfully.

"Tell him I didn't promise that," Tony urged.

"He said he didn't promise me that," Morgan finished. Steve felt his own throat tighten at the sight of this. Why was she able to see Tony? What was the purpose?

"What's happened?" Pepper asked, coming back.

"Morgan misses Tony," Steve explained. It was the easiest solution. Trying to explain that Tony's ghost was making their daughter cry just made Steve's head hurt too much.

"Oh, sweetie. I know," Pepper said, bending to pick her up from Steve's embrace. She rocked her back and forth. "I know. I miss him too."

They walked away slowly. Steve looked at Tony (hopefully).

"I'm so sorry, Tony," Steve said.

"Yea, I know," Tony responded, chasing after his family. Tony didn't understand why Steve had even come. Why did he want to know if Tony was there? What was it going to accomplish? Nothing, that's what. He left Steve standing in the park, watching.


	5. Soul Mates

**Thank you Guest and kellentia for reviewing! I was losing hope that anyone was still interested in this story lol. Things are about to get more interesting. Happy reading :)**

* * *

**Chapter Four: Soul Mates**

Morgan was down for her nap. Tony kept wondering about Steve and why he wanted to know if Tony was there. He remembered that Steve was supposed to return the Infinity Stones that day, so he decided to go check it out for himself and see the others too. He'd be back later. He took one last look at Morgan sleeping.

"I love you," he said into the silence. Then he went to the door. Pepper was standing in the kitchen, and he looked at her for a moment as well.

"You're beautiful, and I love you so much," he said. He wished she could hear him.

"I'll be back." Then he was gone.

...

"Okay," Bruce was saying when Tony arrived. "You all set?"

Steve gave him a thumbs up. He was carrying the case with all the stones, Loki's scepter, and the Mjolnir.

"So how does this work?" Bucky asked. Tony still had a hard time looking at Bucky after knowing what he did to his parents. He moved closer to Steve.

"He takes as long as he needs, and it's only five seconds for us," Bruce explained. "All right, Steve. See you shortly!" He moved the levers, and Tony noticed a strange feeling happening to him.

"WAIT!" he shouted. His shouting fell on deaf ears.

He disappeared with Steve.

...

"OOHHHH NOOOOO!" Tony screamed as they traveled through space and time. His brain was going a million miles an hour. How the hell was he even going along with Steve? How was this possible? He was so confused.

"WHHHAAAAAT IS HAPPENIIIIIIING!" he shrieked as they landed hard. Of course, Tony didn't feel anything, but he was on the ground. Steve removed his helmet and marched towards the cavernous mountain ahead of them. Tony scrambled to his feet and chased after him. There was no way he was going to get left behind here. He spied a guy listening to headphones twirling and spinning to whatever music he was listening to. As intriguing as that was, Tony forced himself to stay focused. He was still wondering how this was even possible. He was a damn ghost for crying out loud. How had he gotten dragged along with this?

Steve hurried and found the place where the power stone was kept. He removed it from the case and stuffed it back into the protective shell it was originally stored in. As it enclosed over the stone, Steve put his helmet back on. Tony jumped next to him just as he clicked his button. They lurched again. This time, Tony didn't scream. They landed in another desolate and creepy looking place. Tony felt his breath catch. This was Vormir. Steve marched ahead, and Tony looked around desperately as he hurried behind him. That's when he saw it.

"Oh my God," he said, derailing from his path behind Steve and rushing over to the figure on the ground. He missed Steve being accosted by a floating red faced skullish figure.

"Natasha?" Tony called. If he was a ghost, maybe she was too. "NAT!" He looked to see Steve arguing with the floating figure and gesturing angrily. Shouts were in the air.

"What's going on?" Nat asked, making Tony shriek.

"Don't sneak up on me like that," he ordered after collecting himself.

"Why are you here? Why are you...see through?" she asked.

"You are too," Tony pointed out.

"I know, but why are you?" she countered.

"I'm dead."

"What? No!" she cried, covering her mouth.

"We won, Nat," Tony said, feeling emotional suddenly. "We won."

"But...how?"

"I did it. I made my own gauntlet and did another snap. I wiped out Thanos and his entire army. Bruce did a reverse snap before that, bringing everyone back. Everything's okay, Nat," Tony assured her.

"But you're dead," she whispered.

"I know," he bowed his head. "But it's okay."

"How are you even here?" she asked, looking at Steve, who was brandishing the soul stone in the Red Skull's face.

"I don't know. I somehow got sucked in when Steve went back in time. As long as we are close to him, we go with him."

"I don't want to be left here," Nat said, growing afraid. It was cold and mostly dark. If she was going to be like this, she'd rather be like this in a more cheerful setting.

"You won't," Tony promised. "You're coming with us."

"And then what? Why am I even still here?" Nat asked.

"Oh, so Coulson hasn't come talk to you yet?"

"Coulson? No..."

"Oh. He said we're still here because death apparently has layers, and we have to finish our business here before we move on."

"What?"

"Do you know what your unfinished business is?" he asked.

"I...I didn't think I'd have any since I sacrificed myself," she answered, puzzled. "That was a pretty good conclusion to my business on Earth I thought."

"Apparently you do cos you're still here...in a way."

"And what about you?"

"It...it has something to do with Morgan," Tony sighed. "I haven't quite figured it out yet."

"He's getting ready to leave!" Nat shouted suddenly, pointing at Steve, who was sporting a furious expression as he jammed his helmet on. Red Skull vanished in the air behind him. They didn't miss the smirk on his face, though, before he disappeared.

"Come on," Tony said, grabbing her hand and yanking her along with him. He was scared. Would they make it? Steve reached to click his button.

"No!" Nat yelled, afraid. Tony pulled her up off her feet, and they dove onto Steve just as he disappeared.

...

Morgan opened her eyes and looked around her room quickly. Where was Daddy?

"Daddy?" she called softly. Maybe he was with Mommy. She threw the covers off and padded out to where Mommy was.

"Did you sleep well?" Mommy asked.

"Uh huh," Morgan nodded. She still couldn't see Daddy. Where was he?

"Would you like a snack?"

"Okay."

She sat at the table. Did Daddy leave? Was he gone forever? Had she not gotten the chance to say goodbye? She felt sad again, but she worked hard not to cry. Mommy got upset when she cried. She would hold it in this time.

"There we go," Mommy said, handing her some sliced apples. Morgan picked one up, examining it. She didn't want Daddy to be gone. She wanted him to stay here.

"You okay?" Mommy asked.

"Yea," Morgan nodded. She wasn't really, but she didn't want Mommy to know that Daddy was missing. Mommy might not believe her. She hoped that wherever her Daddy was, he would come home soon.

...

Tony and Natasha stumbled as Steve landed on the ground.

"Jackass," Steve was muttering. "Won't make a trade. Why use the phrase 'Soul for a soul' then? Geez." He moved forward quickly, still muttering away.

"He was trying to get me back," Nat said, overhearing him. She felt grateful to Steve for trying.

"I can't believe he just swore," Tony commented. After all the time Steve used to call him out when he let a swear word slip out. The nerve.

"Where are we?" Nat asked as they followed Steve.

"I think...I think this is Asgard," Tony said, feeling a little awestruck. So this was where Thor was from. Amazing. Steve stopped suddenly, muttering to himself even more.

"What's he saying now?" Nat asked. Tony craned his ears.

"How am I going to inject this back into her?" Steve was murmuring. Bruce had put the reality stone back into its liquid, Aether form. Rocket had taken it out of Jane, and now Steve had to put it back.

"Oh, this is gonna be incredibly entertaining," Tony commented. They followed Steve as he dodged Rocket racing down the hallway towards Thor shrieking that they had to go right now. Steve put down the Mjolnir as he knew Thor could call it from anywhere, and he readied himself. Jane burst into view, angry and confused, and Steve stepped out in front of her. She stopped short.

"Who are you?!" she demanded.

"I'm sorry," Steve apologized. Then he grabbed her and gripped her tightly so she couldn't move and rammed the needle into her, making her scream.

"Oh shit," Nat said, laughing a little. Poor Steve looked distraught. He emptied the vial and pulled it out.

"What the hell is going on?" Jane asked, still shouting. "Why did that...that furry THING take it out of me just for you to put it back?!"

"It's a long story," Steve replied. "But basically, you helped us save the future." Jane stared as he shut his helmet, and Tony and Nat moved next to him as he pressed the button.

...

"New York," Nat commented as they landed. Steve was going to return the time stone and the mind stone here. Tony knew they had one more stop after this: 1970. Then they would go back home. Steve found the Ancient One right after Bruce disappeared. She looked a little surprised but nodded knowingly at Steve.

"Everything work out?" she asked.

"Yes," Steve answered. "Thank you. And thank you for telling us about returning the stones to the same time we took them from."

"I'm glad your future was saved," Ancient One said, giving a small bow. Steve bowed back. He went to leave with Loki's scepter, and the Ancient One looked at Tony and Nat.

"You have some unfinished business?" she asked them.

"Holy shit," Tony said. "You can see us?"

"Of course. You're two lost souls."

"We...we can't let Steve get out of sight. We need him," Nat explained.

"I hope you both find what you're looking for," the Ancient One commented. Tony and Nat hurried after Steve. Tony felt a little unnerved. She had seemed almost sad for them. They found Steve putting the scepter back just after it was taken, causing some confusion.

"So what's next?" Nat asked.

"The space stone," Tony answered. "We had to go back even further to get it."

"How much further?"

"Hang on," Tony said as Steve got ready to leave.

...

"Wow," Nat said, looking around. It was a big change from 2023.

"Two lost souls," Tony was saying, thinking about what the Ancient One had called them. "What did she mean by that?"

"Well, we are ghosts, or souls. Hey, that makes us soul mates," Nat smirked.

"What?" Tony asked, distracted.

"You know, two mates who are souls? Soul mates," she said. "Not the romantic version. Just the friendly one."

"Right."

They walked along the halls behind Steve, who was taking the Tesseract back to where it was stored. They watched as he dodged a few people and hid from them before continuing on.

"How's Clint?" Nat asked after a moment. She knew he had to be devastated after what happened on Vormir.

"He's devastated," Tony confirmed. He had seen him at his funeral. Clint had looked like a shell.

"He wanted to do it," Nat went on. She felt emotional just thinking about it.

"I know. He was pretty mad when he came back without you."

"He got his family back?"

"All of them," Tony answered.

"Good," Nat nodded. She had been worried about that.

"So, you would have been stuck there?" Tony commented. It made him shiver just thinking about it.

"I guess so."

"Did that floating guy bother you?"

"He didn't know I was there," she answered. She shuddered.

"Well, I'm glad that at least my trip was for something," Tony said, looking at her. "Bringing you back."

"To do what? Live as a ghost? It still sucks," Nat scoffed.

Steve stopped then. They were underground where Tony had found the Tesseract. It felt like such a long time ago.

"If it's any consolation, my daughter can see and hear ghosts," Tony said, watching Steve put it back into the box.

"Really?" Nat asked, intrigued.

"Yea."

"That's cool. So she knows you're there."

"Yup." Whether it was a good thing or not, Tony wasn't sure.

Steve opened his compass, looking at the picture there. He looked nostalgic.

"I think we're going home now," Tony said, noticing. Steve shut the box and sighed. He put his helmet back on.

"I think you're right," Nat nodded. They braced themselves as he reached for the button one last time.

...

Tony opened his eyes and saw a very unfamiliar setting. Steve was removing his suit and helmet, looking almost nervous. It was evening by the look of things. Dusk was settling around them slowly. Tony looked at Nat, who looked just as confused.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"I...I don't know," Tony answered honestly. A car passed them then, and he stared. Why did it look like a car from so long ago? Steve crossed the road and headed towards a lit up building.

"Where is he going? What is this?" Nat asked, sounding nervous. Tony didn't answer, just followed. They went inside, and people sneezed as he jostled them.

"Is that us?" Nat asked, seeing this. She reached and touched a person, who sneezed in return. "That's hilarious." Tony ignored her, craning his neck to find Steve. He caught sight him hesitantly approaching a dark haired woman whose back was to them.

"Oh my God," he said, recognizing her. He had seen her photo almost a hundred times in that damn compass that he could pick her out of a crowd blindfolded.

"What?" Nat asked.

"It's Peggy," Tony answered.

"What?!" Nat trying to see. They saw Peggy turn, see Steve, and burst into tears. Then they hugged tightly.

"We're in 1945," Tony said, feeling his heart sink. He looked at Nat.

"For how long?" she asked, scared now. He looked back at Peggy and Steve. A part of him knew the truth, that Steve was taking Tony's own damn advice and going to live his life. He just unknowingly brought along two ghosts from the future who had somewhere else to be. It was possible they'd never get back to the future.

"I don't know," he finally said. Nat hugged herself tightly.

This really was a nightmare.

* * *

**I hope you liked it!**


	6. The Past is Supposed to be Behind Us

**Chapter Five: The Past is Supposed to Be Behind Us**

Tony and Nat sat on the sidelines as Steve danced with Peggy.

"If it wasn't so horrifying that we're stuck here, it's super sweet they finally got that dance," Nat commented.

Tony didn't comment. Morgan would wonder where he is. Even though in her time he wouldn't be gone long, five minutes to a child seemed like a long time. How was he supposed to do anything without her to communicate for him?! He looked around at the other dancers. No one seemed to notice them. This was not good.

"I don't think he's going back," Nat said after a while. She could just tell. Steve looked so freaking happy.

"I hate to agree," Tony nodded.

"So what do we do?"

"I don't know."

"You said Morgan could see and talk to you. Will she freak out if you're gone?"

"Probably."

"Oh, Tony," Nat said sympathetically. "I'm so sorry."

"She should have been getting used to being without me after I died," Tony said. "She shouldn't have had to lose me all over again. I don't get this at all." A presence entering the dance hall caught his attention then. Could it be...?

"Steve!" Howard Stark cried. The young man interrupted their dance to shake Steve's hand vigorously. "You made it!"

"I sure did," Steve nodded.

"Wait, isn't that...?" Nat started.

"Yup," Tony cut her off. His old man. His not so old, young looking father...with a bimbo on his arm. It certainly wasn't his mother.

"It's so good to see you," Howard said. The woman clutched at his arm, eager for the conversation to end so they could carry on with their date.

"And you," Steve smiled.

"We'll have to catch up sometime," Howard said, being led away at this point.

"Is that...?" Nat began.

"No. Not my mother," Tony answered, knowing that was her question.

"I really would like a drink," Nat said ruefully.

"Hear, hear," Tony agreed. They watched Howard and his date talk and laugh. Then they came over to where Tony and Nat were sitting. Howard's date spotted someone she knew, so she ran off to talk to them, gleefully pointing at Howard. Tony just knew she was bragging.

"You folks don't dance?" Howard asked. Tony spun his head to see Howard looking at both him and Natasha expectantly.

"Excuse me?" Tony said.

"You're just sitting there like a pair of sad saps. Did someone die?" Howard joked.

"This is real, right?" Nat asked Tony. "Cos if it isn't..."

"Wait, you can see us?" Tony asked Howard. He looked perplexed.

"What do you mean? Of course I can see you," he spluttered. He gripped his drink tightly. "Why...why wouldn't I be able to?"

"Because we're dead," Tony said matter-of-factly. Howard's face went white.

"Y-You're messing with me," he laughed nervously after a moment.

"Why would I make up that I'm dead?" Tony asked, crossing his arms.

"Oh, shit," Howard said, feeling nauseous suddenly. "But...but...I can see you and talk to you. You can't be dead."

"Wanna bet?" Nat asked. She reached over to the person beside her and stuck her arm right through the person's head. They sneezed violently.

"Oh my God," Howard said, freaking out and clutching at his chest.

"Hey, hey, deep breaths now," Tony instructed. "Don't faint on us."

"Don't let on you see us either," Nat said. "They lock you up for that sort of thing."

"This can't be happening," Howard said, hyperventilating.

"Let's take a walk," Tony said, gesturing. Howard obliged. Nat stayed to watch Steve in case he decided to transport back home. Tony walked beside his father and wondered what kind of insanity this was. It kind of made sense, though, because Morgan could see him too. Perhaps it was a genetic thing, a family gift. He was wracking his brain to think if he himself had seen any ghosts without realizing it.

"Do I know you?" Howard asked once they were outside. "You just...you look so familiar."

"It's not important who I am," Tony dismissed. The last thing he wanted to do was freak out his father that much more. "What's important is you can communicate with me. I need you to let Steve Rogers know we are here."

"Why, do you know him?" Howard asked.

"Yes. It's imperative you tell him about me. And Nat."

"He's gonna think I'm nuts!"

"No, he won't. He's more believing of things than you realize. I really need you to do this for me, Howard," Tony said.

"How do you know my name?" Howard asked, panicking.

"Your girlfriend said it," Tony lied. "Look, she's not the girl for you, by the way. Trust me."

"Are you from the future or something?" Howard asked, examining him now. "Your clothes are really weird..."

"Just talk to Steve," Tony ordered.

"Okay, okay," Howard caved. He still looked scared, though. Tony hoped he wouldn't bail. He rejoined Nat on the bench.

"I think Steve's getting lucky tonight," she noted.

"I convinced Howard to tell him we're here," Tony interrupted.

"Really?"

"Yea."

"Think he'll do it?"

"We'll find out."

They watched Howard hover around where Steve was. He didn't move any closer.

"He's wussing out," Tony said. "Damn it."

"What if we get stuck here?" Nat asked.

"You know, the past is supposed to be behind us," Tony said irritably. "We're not supposed to go back and relive it, especially when we weren't even born yet!"

Steve and Peggy were heading for the door, holding hands.

"There they go," Nat pointed.

"Howard!" Tony yelled. He looked, but Howard was gone.

"Come on!" Nat urged rushing through the crowd and causing a sneeze storm as she did so. Tony barreled after her. They caught sight of Steve getting into Peggy's car and driving away.

"We'll never catch them," Nat lamented. They watched the tail lights disappear over the hill. Tony caught sight of Howard then, rushing to his truck.

"Come on," Tony said, running towards it. Howard had ditched his date by the looks of it. He was hurrying to start the engine. Tony and Nat climbed into the box of the truck and hid themselves.

"What's your plan?" Nat asked as they started to drive off.

"I'm a ghost," Tony said simply. "I will do what ghosts do best. I'm gonna haunt my Dad."

…

Morgan sat on the porch swing and waited. Daddy had to come home soon. She didn't know how long he had been gone, but she missed him already. There was no sound aside from the birds and the wind, though. Then there were footsteps.

"Whatcha doing out here all alone?" Happy asked, sitting down beside her. Morgan sighed.

"Waiting," she answered.

"For who?"

"Daddy," she told him. Happy tensed beside her. She had forgotten to keep the secret. She realized it too late.

"Um," Happy said, not knowing how to go about this. "So...so you're waiting for your Dad. Does he...does he talk to you?"

"No."

"Do you see him?"

"Sometimes."

"Oh."

"Are you mad at me?" Morgan asked him. She worried about this. She knew lying was bad, but she wasn't lying. She just didn't tell him she could talk to Daddy. She wasn't making it up either.

"Why would I be mad, sweetheart?" Happy asked.

"Because you think I'm lying."

"I don't think you're lying," Happy told her. He patted her little hand with his. "If you see him, then you see him."

"Really?"

"Yea," Happy nodded. If it made her happy to think she was seeing Tony, then why ruin it for her?

"You're my best friend," Morgan said, tucking her head onto his arm. She wasn't tall enough to rest it on his shoulder.

"And you're mine too," Happy replied. They sat in silence on the swing, waiting together.

…

They waited until Howard had done his circle check around the house and closed the drapes before going inside.

"Oh my God!" Howard yelped when Tony and Nat went through the door without opening it.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Tony demanded.

"I can't go to the crazy house, man. I have work to do. I'm needed out here," Howard said desperately. "If I go running around saying I'm seeing ghosts, then they'll ship me off and that's it!"

"I told you, Steve will believe you, okay? Where we came from, he believed it there too," Tony said.

"Wait...where are you from?" Howard asked. "And...and how was Steve there?"

"Oh boy," Nat sighed, crossing her arms and going to sit down.

"I can't tell you," Tony said. "It would cause too much trouble."

"So you are from the future," Howard surmised. He sat down with a thud on the kitchen chair, staring at Tony. "Who are you?"

"I'm Tony," Tony replied. "That's Natasha."

"Hey," Nat waved.

"How did you die?" Howard asked. Nat and Tony both looked at each other.

"Saving the world," they answered at the same time.

"Oh," Howard said, rubbing his face. "What happened?"

"What did I just tell you about talking about where I'm from?" Tony asked.

"That you couldn't tell me," Howard chanted. "Look, if I'm going to help you, I want to at least know that you're not villains trying to fool me."

"Villains? Please," Tony scoffed. "Would I have told you to tell Steve Rogers about us? Huh? Some villains we are to alert Captain freaking America to our existence."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Howard said, waving his hand. "So what is Steve going to do for you that I can't?"

"He can take us back," Tony answered, folding his hands in front of him.

"How?"

"I'm not going to tell you that," Tony replied.

"You're really infuriating, you know?" Howard asked.

"I know. I get that from my father," Tony told him.

"I hope I never meet him," Howard muttered. Tony withheld his laugh at the irony of this.

"Do you know where Peggy lives?" Nat asked, interrupting.

"I do."

"Can you take us there?"

"Not right now," Howard answered. "Did you not see those two? I'm not going over there to run into that."

"Right," Tony nodded. Let Steve have his night with Peggy. They'd start first thing tomorrow. He hoped Morgan wasn't too upset and hurt by his disappearance. He conjured her face in his mind. He missed her and Pepper so much he almost couldn't breathe.

"Good night," Howard said, going to his room.

Tony and Nat watched him go, hearing him mutter "this is so weird" under his breath.

"This must be so strange for you," Nat commented. "Talking to your father in the past."

"It's not my first time," Tony admitted. She cocked her head at him.

"It's not?"

"Steve and I had to go back to 1970 to get more Pym particles. I ran into him there."

"So, tell me what else happened with Thanos," Nat said to him. "Fill me in."

"It'll take a while," Tony pointed out.

"As you well know, I have nothing but time," she smirked. "Go ahead."

"All right," Tony agreed. Then he started to tell her the rest of the events of their time travel heist and what happened after. He talked for what felt like hours. It brought back all the emotions and thoughts he had experienced during it, and he became emotional at times, as did Nat. At the time, he knew he had to die, but now, he regretted it to some degree because now he had to live with his family without really living with them. It was torture.

"You were so brave," Nat said when he was done. He was exhausted at this point.

"So were you," he pointed out.

"What are you going to do when you get back?" Nat asked.

"I don't know," he answered. "Coulson said something about unfinished business."

"I guess I should start thinking about what mine is," she sighed.

"One thing at a time," Tony suggested. They sat back, waiting for morning. Tony anticipated what Steve was going to do. Would he take them back? Or would he decide to stay here? Tony tried not to feel worried, but a small part of him was. He pushed it aside because he couldn't bear to think about living through the past again and being away from Morgan and Pepper for so long.

* * *

**Yes, Guest, to Morgan no time would pass at all aside from the time it took Tony to get to where Steve was time traveling from. Time to children can seem long, though, so even though it's not a long time since Tony has been gone, she could still miss him. I appreciate you taking the time to point it out, but I already mentioned it here and in the next chapter :)**


	7. Ghostbusters in Reverse

**Chapter Six: Ghostbusters in Reverse**

Tony opened his eyes to see Howard creeping around the kitchen with his coat on. He coughed, making Howard turn to look at him.

"Going somewhere?" Tony asked.

"I was hoping I was dreaming this whole thing," Howard confessed.

"Sit," Tony ordered. Howard sat. Tony went over to stand in front of him. He felt a little sorry for his father then. The man had no idea what his future held.

"Are you one of those ghosts who can throw stuff?" Howard asked. "Cos I'm sorry for trying to bail. Please don't wreck my house."

"I'm not...I don't have time for that," Tony said roughly.

"So you can?"

"Stop sidetracking me. Look, Howard," Tony said firmly. "I need to get back. I have to figure out why I didn't pass on. My daughter..." He stopped short, catching himself. Howard was looking at him differently now. Tony cursed himself for the slip.

"You have a daughter?" Howard asked. "I'm so sorry."

"It...it was my choice. I chose to die to save her and everyone else. Don't feel sorry for me," Tony ordered, pointing his finger at Howard. Natasha was awake by this point, but she was just watching quietly.

"I just...I just can't imagine being trapped like you and not being able to talk to her," Howard said sympathetically.

"She can see and talk to me, just like you," Tony explained. "She just...I can't...I did not intend on coming here. I didn't know that Steve was going to come here."

"All right. You can't answer me, but where was Steve? We all believed he was dead. Did you find him under the ice? How is he here?" Howard demanded.

"Just tell him, Tony," Nat cut in at this point. She went to stand beside Tony. "What could it hurt?"

"Um, the future?" Tony said.

"Bruce explained that this won't affect the future," Nat reminded him. "This is an alternate timeline, remember?"

"Wait, what?" Howard asked, confused.

"Right," Tony said, remembering. This wasn't like Back to the Future. He couldn't hurt anything. That piece of information had slipped his mind since he died. To be fair, he'd had a lot of other things on his mind.

"Can someone please just tell me what the hell is going on?" Howard commanded.

"All right," Tony agreed. "But you tell no one, do you understand?"

"Got it," Howard nodded.

"I mean it. I can get more annoying than I already am if you break my trust. I will find out if I can throw things. I haven't tried yet."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Howard said. "Just tell me."

"Okay," Tony said, taking in a breath. "We're from 2023."

"WHAT?!" Howard exploded. Tony crossed his arms and tapped his foot, annoyed.

"Are you going to do that after everything I say?" he asked.

"No, no," Howard said. "Sorry. I just...2023? My God..." Nat turned to hide her smirk.

"So we are from 2023. An ugly beast from another world named Thanos wiped out half of the universe's population in 2018. We did time travel to reverse the effects and to kill him."

"That's how you died?" Howard asked, getting it. He wasn't sure why he was so readily believing all this. He guessed it had something to do with him being able to see and talk to ghosts. Anything was possible after that it seemed.

"Yea. See, there are these things called Infinity Stones," Tony went on. "You, uh, have one actually. The Tesseract."

"Wait, that's a what stone?" Howard questioned.

"In-fin-it-y stone," Tony spelt out dramatically. Howard made a face at him in return. "You have one. It's called the Space Stone. There are five other stones in the universe. Three are on Earth at one point."

"So, what do they do?"

"All six together make it so that all you have to do is snap your fingers, and you kill half of the universe."

"Oh my God," Howard said, putting a hand to his mouth.

"Yea. So he succeeded, but we also succeeded in reversing it," Tony said.

"So...how did you die?"

"I snapped my fingers with my gauntlet and killed him and his army," Tony answered. "It...it was the only way to win."

"Geez," Howard said. "So these stones...they killed you?"

"Yes. I'm human, so I can't survive their power."

"Wait, why didn't Bruce do it?" Nat asked, confused. That part had been left out from his story the night before.

"His arm was mangled from the reverse snap," Tony told her. "And his gauntlet was stolen by Thanos. I made my own."

"Oh."

"So how did you end up here?" Howard asked, changing the subject.

"Steve went back in time to return all the stones. I got sucked in with him. Then I found Natasha."

"And how did you die?" Howard asked her.

"I sacrificed my life for the Soul Stone," Nat said softly. "It was the only way to get it. A soul for a soul."

"You're very brave," Howard said to her. She smiled grimly.

"Thanks."

"So, how did Steve end up in 2023? He died last week."

"He was frozen in ice until 2011."

"Seriously?!"

"Yea."

"That must have been so hard for him."

"It was. I told him he needed to live a life, and he chose to come back here," Tony sighed. "Which, good for him, but not so good for us."

"All right, so how did you do the time travel?"

"Pym particles."

"What the hell are those?"

"Hank Pym creates them in the 1960s," Tony explained. "They can reduce or expand the size of an object. He has a suit that he uses them with to avoid damaging the brain when using them."

"And they are what got you here?"

"Yea. Using them through the quantum realm is how we made time travel work."

"My head hurts," Howard said, rubbing it.

"It's a lot to take in," Nat agreed. Someone pounded on the front door then, making them all spin to look.

"You expecting someone?" Tony asked Howard.

"No," Howard shook his head. He stood and went to answer.

"Hey," Steve said, shocking them all.

"S-S-Steve," Howard stuttered. "What...what are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Howard moved to let Steve in, who was looking around the room carefully. Tony just knew what he was looking for even though he wouldn't see it.

"I figured you'd be with Peggy," Howard said after a moment.

"I was. There was something that bothered me last night, though, and I wanted to talk to you."

"What is it?"

"Who were you talking to?" Steve asked, getting to the point.

"What?"

"Last night at the dance. You were completely alone, but you were talking. Who were you talking to?"

"Um...um..." Howard tried. His mind was racing.

"Just tell him, buddy," Tony encouraged. Howard looked at him.

"There, you're doing it again," Steve said, pointing. "Who are you looking at?"

"You promise not to send me to the nut house?" Howard asked, looking back at Steve.

"I promise. Just tell me," Steve ordered. He had a hunch. He just needed to hear it from Howard.

"It's Tony," Howard said.

"Tony," Steve repeated.

"Yea."

"And Natasha," Tony added.

"And Natasha," Howard nodded.

"Na...Natasha?!" Steve asked, incredulous.

"So you know them?" Howard asked.

"They're my friends."

"Hi, Steve," Nat said.

"Natasha says hi," Howard told him. Steve gripped his head.

"What are you guys even doing here?" Steve asked the air. He hated that he couldn't see them.

"It's a long story," Tony said.

"Tony says it's a long story," Howard dictated. "Look, he explained everything to me. The Pym particles, the time travel, the fact you were in ice until 2011, the snap, Thanos...I know it all."

"You know it all?" Steve echoed. "Everything?" There was an underlying tone there. Tony caught it.

"Not that," Tony said quickly.

"Not what?" Howard asked Tony.

"Ah, so not everything," Steve nodded.

"What's going on?" Howard asked Steve.

"Don't, Steve," Tony said loudly.

"He can't hear you," Howard said to him angrily. "What isn't he telling me, Steve?"

"I'm your son!" Tony shouted fast, trying to beat Steve.

"You get murdered in the future," Steve said at the same time. Howard stood there frozen, blinking his eyes.

"Uh oh," Nat said, looking at them all. Tony clenched his fists. If he had known Steve was going to go down that route, he would have kept his mouth shut. He watched his father carefully, who looked as though his head was going to explode.

"You're my son?" he whispered eventually, looking at Tony.

"Oh," Steve said, realizing what he'd done. Of course Tony would have thought that was what Steve was going to say. He felt bad then.

"Yea, I am," Tony sighed. Howard stared.

"That's why you're so familiar..." he started.

"Yea."

"And your daughter... I have a granddaughter?"

"Yes."

"But I'm murdered," Howard finished, looking back at Steve.

"Yea," Steve confirmed.

"By who?"

"Bucky," Steve replied.

"Bucky?! Bucky's dead," Howard said, confused.

"He's not. HYDRA got him after he fell and used him as a super soldier hitman. He was brainwashed. I'm actually going to stop that from happening, and that's the other reason I'm here, to ask for your help in rescuing him. Peggy's in too."

Tony realized what Steve was doing here. He was not only saving his best friend, but he was also preventing the murders of Tony's parents. Tony felt touched that Steve would risk his life to do this for him when he came to have a so called retirement.

"I like rescue missions," Nat mused. Tony gave her a look.

"So you're trying to stop my murder," Howard said to Steve. "And save Bucky."

"Yes."

"Won't that affect the future?" Howard asked.

"No. Like I said earlier, the future remains unaffected," Nat told him.

"This type of time travel doesn't do that," Steve echoed, not knowing she had just said it.

"This is all just so...weird," Howard said, rubbing his forehead. He had a son. He looked at Tony. Looking at his adult son who was dead just made him feel sick. Was this really happening? His brain wasn't comprehending fully. And what had he done to deserve getting murdered in the future? He shivered.

"I want to help," Nat said.

"How are we going to help?" Tony asked her. "We're ghosts."

"We can distract the bad guys," Nat reasoned.

"How?" Tony demanded. Nat reached over and stuck her hand in Steve's face, making him sneeze violently.

"Oh, right," Tony said, remembering.

"Agh, did Tony just touch me?" Steve asked, his eyes watering.

"Natasha did," Howard corrected, bringing himself back to the room even though it was all so bizarre. "She was proving her point that they could help us get Bucky."

"After this, we go home," Tony said. He knew that his absence from the future wasn't long, but he didn't want Morgan to worry about him in the time it would take to get back to his place from where the time travel station was.

"The ghosts are coming with us," Howard said.

"It's like Ghostbusters in reverse," Tony chuckled.

"That doesn't make any sense," Nat pointed out.

"It did in my head," Tony said, shrugging.

"How?"

"Well...instead of humans busting ghosts we are ghosts busting humans. Get it?"

"Not really."

"Well, you have to be in my head to get it then."

"What?" Howard asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Is Tony referencing Ghostbusters?" Steve asked. So Peter Parker had rubbed off on Tony a little then since the kid was always spouting off film references. It was kind of funny. He wished he could tell Peter.

"See?! He gets it!" Tony exclaimed.

"Apparently," Howard frowned. "I don't know what that means."

"Wait for 1984. You'll get it then," Steve said. "I just saw it recently actually. It was on Netflix. The reboot too. The receptionist guy in the reboot looked an awful lot like Thor, though. It was weird."

"Netflix?! Thor?!" Howard asked, aggravated a little.

"Ah, forget it," Steve said, waving his hand.

"You're right," Tony said, thinking about it. "It did look like Thor. Maybe he has a twin."

"Stop talking about some dude I have never even heard of," Howard ordered.

"He agreed with me?" Steve asked Howard. "About the Thor thing?"

"Yes. Can we focus on this rescue mission now? Please?" Howard begged.

"So you're in?" Steve asked.

"Yes. I'm in. So are these idiots."

"Hey!" Nat said, outraged.

"Sorry, love. Not you. I meant just Tony."

"Thanks a lot, _Dad_," Tony said, emphasizing. "You know, I get your idiotic-ness from you, but I prefer to call it genius-ness."

"Shut up," Howard growled. His head was still spinning about the fact that he had a son, and this son was here as a ghost from the future. He felt like he maybe was going crazy. Maybe he should admit himself to the nut house.

"I'll go gear up and meet you back here in an hour," Steve said.

"Fine," Howard agreed.

"Bye, guys," Steve said. "And Nat? Really good that you're here. I mean, not like this. I'd prefer it if you were alive...both of you, I mean."

"I get it," Nat smiled.

"She gets it," Howard translated. Steve gave a tight smile and went out the door.

"So," Tony said. "Ever seen a man with a steel arm before?"

Howard just stared at him.


	8. Go in, Grab Him, and Get Out

**Chapter Seven: Go in, Grab Him, and Get Out  
**

They were assembled outside of where Bucky was being held. Steve had retained that information from Bucky before, so he knew where to go. He felt a bit strange knowing that Nat and Tony were there but invisible. He was still getting used to that. He had told Peggy because he knew he could trust her. She had taken a moment to let it sink in, but she believed it because she also believed his story of coming from the future. Plus, Tony had made her sneeze so uncontrollably that she had to agree they were there. This just made Steve love her even more.

"Okay, we're doing this," Howard said, clutching his gun. He felt a little scared. He had mental arguments with himself the whole way here about whether or not he was dreaming all this. It turned out he wasn't because he was standing in front of a door that bad guys were standing behind. It was very much real.

"Yea, we're doing this," Tony nodded. Howard swallowed visibly.

"Okay, so we all know the plan, right?" Steve said, looking around at them all (minus Tony and Nat).

"Your invisible friends go first to show us where the guards are, and we take them out," Peggy confirmed. It felt a little bizarre to her still, and she wondered briefly if she was going mad believing all this information Steve had told her, but she knew Steve wasn't a liar, and the suit and Pym particles he had shown her were enough proof for her. The whole ghost thing was astounding, but she had never felt a sneeze like that in her life, so she was inclined to believe Steve was also telling the truth there. It helped that she had her own ghost story from her past to prove that these things can happen. Her grandmother had paid her a visit. It would be a story she'd share with Steve one day.

"I'm so excited!" Nat said, rubbing her hands. "I never thought I'd get to do another mission."

"Yea, and we can't die this time," Tony joked. Nat gave him a sad look, but he shook it off.

"They're ready," Howard said on their behalf, looking at Steve.

"Okay, lead the way," Steve gestured. Tony went through the door before Steve pulled it open quietly and went ahead with Nat, finding the oblivious guards walking in hallways and standing at their posts. Nat and Tony put their fists through their heads, making them sneeze, and Steve took them out quietly. They got to a secured door and stopped.

"He's behind here," Steve murmured.

"That is a very ominous door," Tony commented. It screamed "there's a prisoner behind here!" just from the look of it.

"How do we get in?" Howard asked.

"We knock and ask nicely?" Tony suggested. Howard rolled his eyes.

"Looks like there's a key," Peggy noted, looking at Steve. He touched the door absently. There was no way their guns would blast it open. They needed the key.

"Is he even in there for sure?" Howard asked nervously. He didn't want to risk everything just to find out it was for nothing.

"I'll check," Tony said. He moved through the door easily. Sure enough, Bucky was lying on the table and fighting to free himself. Panic was in his eyes. No one was in the room. Tony backed out to rejoin the others.

"He's in there all right. Alone," Tony added. Howard relayed this information to Steve.

"Okay. Howard, stay down here. Peggy and I will find the key," Steve said.

"I'm going with you," Nat said.

"Natasha is accompanying you," Howard explained. Steve smiled.

"Great. Come on," he said. They all left together, leaving Tony and Howard alone. They were quiet for the most part until Howard broke the silence.

"Tell me about my granddaughter," he said. Tony twisted his lips into a smile.

"She's amazing."

"Does she look like you?"

"Like me and her mother."

"Who did you marry?"

"Pepper Potts."

"Is she the woman of your dreams?"

"And then some," Tony answered. "I owe so much to her."

"How old were you when I died?" Howard asked. He'd been wanting to know.

"A teenager."

Howard closed his eyes. He couldn't even begin to imagine.

"It's all right. In this timeline, you will live," Tony assured him.

"Why would Bucky kill me?"

"He was brainwashed, or at least that's what they say. I had a very hard time with it when I found out," Tony admitted. He remembered fighting with Steve. He had felt so betrayed. He was still struggling with this whole thing, but the terrified Bucky he'd seen on the other side of the door made him start to realize that Bucky wasn't always a murderer.

"The Bucky I knew, he wouldn't have done it if he was in his right mind," Howard reasoned. "Trust me."

"Hmm," was all Tony said in response. He had mixed emotions about seeing Bucky again, but he knew that in order to save his parents, he had to save Bucky. There were gunshots upstairs, and Howard tensed.  
"Looks like they ran into trouble," he said. Footsteps sounded, and Tony gestured for his father to hide behind some crates. Tony watched as a guard came and checked the area quickly before turning and running back to the fight.

"Stay put," Tony ordered his father before rushing after the guard. He found Steve and Peggy engaged in gunfire with Natasha doing her best to help.

"I hate that I can't grab onto them!" she shouted when she saw Tony.

"What happened?" he asked.

"They got caught, that's what happened," Nat answered.

"Thanks for stating the obvious."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I meant how did they get caught?" Tony corrected.

"I missed a guard," Nat said, slamming her fist into one's chest. It helped Steve to throw him down. Nat felt bad for slipping up. It had almost cost Peggy her life. The woman was tough, Nat had to admit.

"Steve!" Peggy shouted, and Steve ducked to avoid a bullet. They had no idea how they were going to get out of this.

"Where's the key?" Tony asked Nat.

"Peggy has it," Nat answered. Tony pondered on how to get Peggy's attention to show her he could get her out of there. He wished he had the ability to move stuff like in the movie _Ghost_, but that didn't seem to be happening. It was confusing because how come he could sit on things and be in cars then? None of this made any sense at all, but the character Sam from that film could also sit on things and be on moving trains but not be able to touch stuff, so...

_Okay, stop getting wrapped up in the semantics of the damn film, _he told himself. _Get mad!_

"What are you doing?" Nat asked, seeing his contorted face and tense body. "Are you...are you trying to Hulk out or something?"

"Uhhh," Tony said, releasing the tension in his body. Nothing. He hadn't managed to grab the bad guy's gun out of his hands. He turned to Nat then, having just registered what she said. "Hulk out? Excuse me?"

"You were bending your arms all weird, and I could see the tendons in your neck," Nat pointed out. "Classic Hulk."

"I was trying to get mad, not become a raging green killing machine," he explained. "And besides, Hulk has mellowed out, remember?"

"Right. So what were you trying to get mad for? Oh, wait! To move stuff right? Like in _Ghost_?"

"Now she gets it," Tony muttered.

"Shut up," Nat growled, shaking her head. "Look, the guy that taught Sam in that movie said you have to use all your emotions, push them down and feel them in your gut to make stuff move. It's not just anger. It's all of it."

Right. Well he certainly had a lot of emotions right now, but concentrating on putting them in his gut was another thing.

"I don't have time for this," Tony said, huffing. He watched Peggy narrowly miss a bullet. "We gotta do something, Nat."

"I know!" Nat cried, causing another bad guy to stumble and sneeze so Steve could take him out. They turned to see frantic gesturing near the stairs. Howard had come up to get Peggy despite being told to stay put, and he had quietly taken out the guard standing by the stairs. Thankfully, she saw him before the others did. Steve covered her so she could run, and he held off the others as best as he could. Tony went after his father and Peggy. They were back at the door and scrambling with the key.

"Hurry!" Howard urged.

"I'm trying!" Peggy cried. Finally, the door opened, and they went through. Bucky looked at them, shocked.

"How did you...?" he started.

"No time," Peggy cut him off. "Help me!" Howard went to the other side, and together they worked on the straps holding Bucky down.

"Nice arm," Howard commented as he worked.

"I'd take my real one over it any day," Bucky snorted.

"Did they...?" Peggy tried.

"No. I lost it when I fell."

He was freed quickly, and he sat up and swiveled to the edge of the table. Gunshots could be heard.

"Anyone got an extra gun?" he asked. Howard handed him one.

"Are you all right?" Peggy asked Bucky, who nodded.

"I think they had worse planned for me, but they hadn't started yet. I heard something about a super soldier. You got here in the nick of time. Now let's take down these bastards."

Tony ground his teeth a little. He was having a hard time associating Bucky with the cold blooded killer who murdered his parents. He was starting to see why Steve rooted for the guy and had faith in him, and he wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"We gotta go," Howard said as the noise grew louder outside of the door. The three of them hurried out with Tony behind.

"Tony!" Nat shouted from the left. "Steve's hurt!"

"What?" both Tony and Howard said, looking at her. Bucky gave Peggy a confused look.

"Who's he talking to?" he asked.

"What's happened?" Peggy asked Howard, ignoring Bucky.

"Steve's hurt," Howard replied.

"Where?!"

"You gotta get out of here. His orders," Nat said.

"He said we are to leave," Howard said, tightening his grip on his gun.

"We're not leaving him!" Peggy insisted.

"Steve is here?" Bucky asked, trying to keep up.

"Howard, I can't see them," Peggy said desperately. "Please, you have to follow them and find Steve!"

"See who? What is going on?" Bucky tried.

"Ah...ah..." Howard said, stuttering. He was scared. He wanted to get the hell out of there, but he also knew that Steve had saved his life just now by preventing Bucky from becoming a monster who would murder him in the future. He owed him one.

"This way," Nat urged.

"Fine. You two get out of here before this ends up being for nothing," Howard ordered Peggy and Bucky. "We'll meet back at the jeep."

"Okay," Peggy nodded. "Please save him."

"I'll do my best," Howard said. He didn't want to make any promises. Nat and Tony went ahead, leading him to Steve while Peggy and Bucky crept out the way they had come in. The excitement over having Captain America cornered was overshadowing the fact that there were two other people in the building with him, and no one had yet realized how many they had taken down already on the way in, so the way out was clear. Tony marveled at how dumb these folks were. Ten of them had Steve trapped behind a pile of boxes, chattering to each other excitedly.

"Okay. We have one shot at this. Make it count," Tony said to Howard.

"Thanks for reminding me how dire this situation is," Howard retorted. "As if I didn't already know that!"

"Go in, grab him, and get out," Tony went on. "Nat and I will distract."

"On it," she said, surging forward. There were sneezing men everywhere suddenly. Then, a man went flying.

"Yes!" Nat cried.

"Now!" Tony shouted. Howard burst forward. He seized Steve's upper arm and pulled him up. Steve was firing off shots over his shoulder. Tony aided Nat in her sneeze and push fest, marveling at how she was able to actually shove them down now.

"I got it figured out!" she shouted gleefully. Tony tried, but he wasn't successful. He stuck with his usual ability of making snot fly. It was still effective. By miracle, Howard and Steve slipped away during the commotion. Steve was gasping in pain as they hurried outside. Howard could feel the warmth of the blood on his side coming from Steve's wound. He started to move faster.

"Hurry up! Calvary is on your ass!" Tony shouted, moving behind them with Nat. Their distraction ended faster than they anticipated. Tony learned that the more you touched someone in rapid succession, the less power the sneeze had. It was disappointing and alarming. That and they all dispersed at once, making it difficult for Nat and Tony to keep up with them all. Nat had tripped some, but the others got ahead of her, calling for back up. They finally spotted Bucky and Peggy waiting by the jeep, who rushed forward to pull Steve off of Howard and hoist him into the back. Nat and Tony jumped in, careful not to touch Steve. Bucky floored it, racing out of there. Bullets whizzed past and hit the outside of the jeep.

"If we fail, we are dooming the future," Tony said. "Cos if they get both Bucky and Steve, we're never going to stop HYDRA."

"Are you always this pessimistic?" Howard asked. Bucky jerked his head, noting that Howard was talking to himself again.

"Yea, Tony, lighten up," Nat said. "HYDRA will still be stopped. There's still us, remember?"

"Right," Tony said. He forgot that his future self had yet to be born.

"Tony's going on about me getting caught isn't he?" Steve managed to ask through the pain. He felt very light headed. He had taken a bad shot to the chest. He didn't feel very good about his odds right now.

"Who is Tony? Guys, what the hell is going on?" Bucky asked.

"We'll explain later," Peggy promised. She was squeezing Steve's hand tightly in hers. She knew what had to be done. It was why she brought it. Just in case.

"Stop," Howard ordered, seeing Steve beginning to fade. Bucky slammed on the brakes. They were far enough away by now, but he hid the jeep from view of the road anyway. He looked back at Steve.

"What's happening?" he asked.

"Steve?" Peggy prompted, tears in her eyes.

"We can't have a ghost Steve," Tony said. "He'll annoy us too much and spoil our fun."

"Tony," Nat chastised. Honestly, was there really a need for a joke now?

"I'm sorry. I get jokey when I don't know what to say," Tony said.

"Tell Peggy to get the suit out," Nat told Howard.

"Nat says get the suit out?" Howard said to Peggy as a question. She nodded. She reluctantly let go of Steve's hand and went to the back to root through her bag.

"What suit? What is she doing?" Bucky asked.

"It's a long story, man," Howard sighed. "Just...bear with us for right now."

"She brought the suit?" Tony asked Nat, who nodded. She had seen it earlier peeking through the zipper. Peggy returned with it, and Howard helped her get it on Steve. They were in the middle of nowhere with no help in sight. At least at the other end of this thing, they were closer to help not to mention better technology.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked groggily.

"Saving your life," Peggy answered, cupping his face. "You can always come back, right? Please come back."

"I will," Steve agreed, touching her hand with his.

"Where are you going?" Bucky asked, confused. Howard put the helmet on Steve and secured it. He gave Peggy the go ahead nod.

"Hey, this is goodbye for us too," Tony said to Howard, who looked at him. Sadness briefly flicked across Howard's eyes.

"Right," he said.

"Thank you for helping," Nat said.

"My pleasure. And um...please give my granddaughter a hug from me," Howard said to Tony.

"I can try," Tony said.

"Right, right," Howard bobbed his head. "The whole ghost thing...I'm sorry." Bucky's eyes were almost bulging out of his head at this point from all the insane things being said.

"It's okay."

"We have to go now," Nat said gently, noticing Steve was shaking now.

"I love you, Steve," Peggy said through her tears.

"I love you too," Steve managed to reply.

"Wait!" Bucky cried, but Steve had already pressed the button. Nat and Tony were swept up with him, and it all grew dark.

...

Morgan looked up at the noise and cocked her head.

"Daddy?" she asked.

"No, no, sweetheart," the man answered. "Although, I understand the confusion."

Morgan looked at the man more carefully and felt confused. He looked ghost-like as her father did, and he had similar features to her father, but it wasn't him. Who was he?

"Where's Daddy?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm going to be here with you until he gets back," the man promised.

"Who are you?" Morgan asked. The man smiled.

"My name's Howard. I'm your Grandpa."


	9. Could Things Get Any More Bizarre Today?

**I just wanted to clarify that Grandpa Howard is a ghost. I apologize if that was misleading, and I fixed it so it's more clear. As Bruce explained, what they do in the past doesn't change their current timeline (so not like Back to the Future), so saving Howard from being killed doesn't change that he died in this timeline. I know it sucks, but I'm trying to stick to the explanation of time travel that Marvel gave. I'm sorry to disappoint you guys :(**

**Also, thank you Guest for telling me about the film Heart and Souls. I ordered it and just watched it tonight, and I loved it. So heartwarming!  
**

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Could Things Get Any More Bizarre Today?  
**

The noise alerted Bruce, Bucky, and Sam, making them turn towards the platform. After assuming Steve wasn't coming back when he hadn't shown up right away, Bruce had felt deflated.

"Did he change his mind?" Bucky asked, also knowing Steve hadn't planned on coming back without Steve having to tell him.

"I...I don't know..." Bruce said.

Steve appeared then, but he was slumped over.

"Steve!" Sam shouted, rushing over. Bruce and Bucky followed suit.

"He's bleeding," Bruce noticed.

"Steve, what happened?" Bucky asked, gripping Steve's shoulder. Steve didn't respond.

"Call it in," Sam ordered. "Now!"

Tony and Natasha stood out of the way as Bucky began to do CPR on Steve while Bruce called for EMS.

"What if he dies?" Nat asked. She had a big lump in her throat.

"He won't. He'll be fine," Tony assured her.

"Why are you so confident?"

"Because. This is Steve we're talking about here. He'll be just fine."

He hoped to God he was right.

...

Morgan peered at her grandfather, who was smiling at her. She knew about things such as grandparents. Her one friend was always talking about hers. It had made Morgan a wee bit jealous.

"I didn't mean to scare you," Howard said. The truth was, he had been watching for a bit now, and when Tony left, he wanted to come forward and meet her properly after having seen that she could communicate with him.

"I'm not scared," she said, jutting her chin out.

"So much like your Daddy," Howard chuckled. "Well, that's good then. I'd feel bad if I did."

"Sweetheart, who are you talking to out here?" Pepper asked, coming out onto the porch. Howard put a finger to his lips, and Morgan understood that he was to be a secret, just like Daddy.

"Nobody," she answered, looking up at Pepper. She sat down beside her and pulled her in close. Morgan snuggled into her arm, watching her grandfather carefully. He just smiled. She smiled back. She could get used to having him around.

...

Nat was practising her skill while they waited in the hospital. Tony watched, mildly interested. He had wanted to race home since now he was on real time again, but he felt he should at least wait to see Steve before doing so, just to make sure the old chap was as all right as they said he was. The nurse at her station looked up and frowned as the kleenex box on her desk shifted an inch. Natasha chuckled to herself.

"You're going to freak her out," Tony warned Nat, who simply smiled. It had been a huge relief when they had heard that Steve was going to be okay, even though Tony had predicted it. If Peggy hadn't brought that suit, Steve would probably be dead. Tony thought about this when the paramedics rushed Steve away. He knew the doctors would be marveling at the fact that the bullet they extracted belonged to a gun from 1945 (if someone ran it that is). He somehow knew that no further questions would be asked about it anyway. He had watched Bucky wring his hands and look very worried, and he knew then that Bucky had a strong friendship with Steve even after all the brainwashing. Some things can't be erased. Sam had paced the hallway while Bruce tried to sit in the very small chair in the waiting room. He got a lot of looks from staff and patients alike. The doctor had come out after a long time to say that Steve was stable, and they could visit. Tony and Nat decided to wait until the others had left the room before seeing him.

"It's fun. You should try it," Nat suggested, bringing Tony back out of his thoughts. He sighed but stood up. He _had_ wanted to try it. There was nothing cooler than a ghost moving shit around and freaking out people.

"All right," he said. "What am I moving?"

"Her pen," Nat pointed.

"And why are we picking on this particular nurse?" Tony asked.

"Because she totally bitched out another nurse for taking her pen," Nat answered.

"The exact pen I am going to move right now?"

"Yup."

"All righty then," Tony said, bending. He concentrated then poked at it. Nothing.

"You have to feel your emotions," Nat said.

"I know, I know," Tony interrupted. He did his best, but it still wasn't moving.

"Let me help," Nat said. "Think about a memory that causes emotion inside of you."

"What did you think of?" he asked.

"I thought of Clint watching me die," she answered softly.

"Ah geez," Tony said, feeling a bit choked up now.

"Then I thought about how angry I was at Thanos. Then I thought of how happy I was when you found me."

"I get it," Tony said, putting his hand up. "Okay." He thought of the day Morgan was born. He reached out...

"You did it!" Nat cried, making him jump. Indeed, the pen had moved slightly. He thought of when Pepper and he first kissed. The pen jumped off the ledge and clattered onto the floor. The nurse glared at it, looking around for the cause of the fall.

"Oh yea," Tony said. He moved to other objects now. The nurse was constantly picking up her desk items from the floor for the next five minutes. She was ready to explode with frustration when Nat gestured to him.

"Hey," Nat said, "they're leaving."

Sure enough, Bucky, Sam, and Bruce were exiting Steve's hospital room.

"But I was just getting started," Tony said, his voice a small whine. The nurse had all her things collected in a pile in front of her, and she was glaring at everyone around her as if they were the cause of her annoyance.

"Come on," Nat ordered. He obeyed reluctantly. They went into Steve's room to find him lying there staring at the ceiling. He was wearing white colored hospital clothes, and his one leg was sticking out from under the covers.

"Too bad he can't hear us," Tony said. "I'd make some joke about how white looks better on a bride."

"And I'd tell you that using jokes as a defense mechanism gets old pretty fast," Steve responded, turning his head to look at them, a smirk on his face.

"Holy shit!" Tony yelped, leaping back.

"Oh my God!" Nat shrieked at the same time.

"Hey, guys," Steve smiled.

"How...how are you doing that?" Tony asked, flabbergasted. Could things get any more bizarre today?

"Funny story...I apparently died for a couple of minutes on my way here," Steve said. "I saw Coulson. He said something about not my time yet before I was brought back. And now I can see you two."

"So...so a near death experience made you able to see us?" Tony confirmed.

"Not a near death experience. I actually died, Tony. For two minutes and thirty two seconds," Steve corrected.

"It's so good to be able to talk to you," Nat said, beaming at him. He turned to look at her, growing serious.

"Nat, I'm so sorry. If I had known..."

"No," she cut him off, holding up her hand. "I wouldn't have wanted it any other way."

"But still..."

"It's okay, Steve. Really," she promised.

"And Tony," Steve said, looking at him now. "I...I don't even know what to say. You really did save the world."

"I did," Tony bowed his head. "You're welcome, by the way."

"Thanks," Steve chuckled. "Glad to see your humor stayed with you."

"Always," Tony smirked.

"Are you going to go back?" Nat asked. Steve paused for a moment.

"I am," he answered. "It's the life I always wanted and dreamed about for so long. I know she wouldn't have sent me back here if it wasn't an emergency. I want to go back once I'm out of here."

"Does Bruce know?"

"Yea. He understands," Steve nodded.

"Will it be the same timeline, though?" Nat asked.

"I...I think so. I guess we'll see when I get there," Steve said. He had briefly worried about that, but he figured that being with Peggy was being with Peggy regardless of what timeline it was. If he had to save Bucky again, he would. This time, he'd take more people with him. He was pretty confident it would be the same timeline, though, because it was the same when he returned the stones right after they were taken. Why would it change now? It wouldn't. He was going to be back in the same timeline. He would find a very confused Bucky and a thrilled Peggy. All would be well.

"Okay, here's what I don't get," Tony said on a different topic. He was still thinking about it. "If you died and can now see and talk to us, why can't all the people who were dusted away by Thanos see and talk to us? They were dead too."

"I don't know, Tony. Maybe not everyone gets the gift," Steve offered.

"Maybe because they died before we did?" Nat suggested. "Just a theory."

Tony didn't respond. He was still pondering it.

"Thank you again both of you for helping back there with Bucky," Steve went on. "It means a lot."

"No problem," Nat smiled. "I'm glad we saved your friend. I'm glad we stopped the whole Winter Soldier thing, for a different timeline at least. It doesn't change what happens in our timeline."

"Me too," Steve nodded. "He got his life back, and you're right, it doesn't affect our timeline, but it still makes me feel better."

Tony was still silent throughout all of this thinking that even though they had stopped Bucky from being brainwashed and his father from being murdered, it still didn't change anything in this timeline. It all happened anyway. How stupid was that? Steve noticed Tony's silence.

"I know we had this fight, but I really want you to know that Bucky would never have done it if he was in his right mind," Steve said to him. "I can promise you that. He liked Howard."

"I'm not there yet," Tony said. He wasn't. He was thinking about it, but he wasn't quite there yet. It still really hurt.

"I'll take that," Steve nodded. He had said "yet." That was a little bit of progress. His fist wasn't in his face either, which was also a good sign.

"I'd stay around and chat forever, but I have a daughter to get back to," Tony said.

"Right. If I don't see you again, you've been a really good friend, Tony, and I will miss you," Steve said. Tony pressed his lips together.

"You said that already," Tony pointed out.

"Ah, so you did hear me," Steve said, realizing.

"Yea, and now you can hear me say that I will miss you too," Tony finished. He and Steve shared a look, and they both knew what it meant. They valued each other's friendship in spite of their falling out. At least they had been able to work it out before Tony died.

"Natasha," Steve said, looking at her. She sniffed.

"I hope you have a wonderful life, Steve," she said.

"I will. I have a feeling we will see each other again, though" Steve told her. "I'm glad I got the chance to talk to you guys one last time."

"Us too," Nat agreed. Tony nodded.

"Mr. Rogers," the nurse Tony had been messing with said, coming in. "Good to see you're awake and alert. You'll be out of here in no time." She beamed at him. Steve smiled back. While she was checking his chart, he looked at Nat and Tony, who understood this was the end of their conversation. Tony felt sad then. It was like the end of an era, and an abrupt ending at that. They waved at Steve, who bowed his head slightly back at them as they left the room. On his way past the mean nurse's station, Tony mustered all his emotions and knocked her framed degree off with such force that it crashed into her computer monitor, cracking the screen. That's what she got for interrupting their goodbyes to Steve.

"Nice one," Nat commented. Tony didn't respond as they walked out together.

...

"Got any threes?" Howard asked.

"Go fish!" Morgan said gleefully. Howard had mastered the whole picking up stuff during his years as a ghost. If Pepper walked in at this particular moment, she'd see a hovering set of cards in the air in front of Morgan. He had his ears on alert for her footsteps, though. No sense in freaking her out if he could help it.

"You're good at this game," Howard noted.

"Daddy and I played a lot. I also know Snap and Crazy Eights and War," she said.

"Wow. Look at you," Howard commented.

"I'm smart like Daddy," Morgan said proudly. It was true. Her father had been both impressed and excited that she learned things so quickly and easily. She liked math too.

"You sure are," Howard chuckled. He wished he had spent more time with Tony doing things just like this, a simple game of cards.

"Got any Kings?" she asked him, breaking into his thoughts. He looked at the three Kings in his hand. Damn she was good.

"Yes," he said reluctantly, handing them over. She giggled and set them down beside her. It was very clear who the winner was going to be. Howard wondered where Tony was at this moment and if he was going to return. He'd been gone quite a few hours by now.

...

"So what are you going to do?" Tony asked once they were getting close to his place. Nat sighed.

"I already know what my unfinished business is," she said. "It's telling Clint that it's not his fault. It seems that he didn't believe me when I told him it was okay to let me go."

"How are you going to tell him that?"

"I have the ability to move stuff," she shrugged. "I will spell it out for him with whatever material I can get my hands on."

"Well, the best of luck to you," Tony said. She looked at him sadly then.

"I'll see you on the other side, though, right?" she said.

"I'm sure you will."

Nat caught the look in his eye, though.

"Tony, you can't stay here forever."

"Says who?"

"It's not healthy."

"Again, says who?"

"Think about what that will do to Morgan. She needs to let you go, Tony."

"For the third time, says who?" Tony asked.

"Says me!" Nat exclaimed, annoyed. "She can't grow up with her ghost father, Tony. It's not right."

"Wouldn't you have wanted your father there?" Tony challenged, making Nat swallow. "Huh? Wouldn't you have wanted him there to guide you and support you and just be there to talk to?"

"Don't make this about me, but I really don't think that's what's happening here," Nat said.

"Of course I'm making it about you," Tony shot back. "Why else would I say it?"

"Because you wish your father had stayed for you," Nat said bluntly. "That's what you're really saying here, Tony. You wish that your father had stayed as a ghost and had been with you growing up so you could have had the relationship with him that you always wanted and never had the chance to get."

Tony bristled a little inside at how smart Nat was. He had forgotten how annoying that could be.

"So what?" he said finally. "Who wouldn't want that?"

"It's a nice thought, but what happens when you really do disappear?" Nat asked. "It will only hurt her more."

"I'm not going to disappear because I'm not going to finish my business," Tony said. "Not to mention that I really don't have a clue what my unfinished business even is right now, but when I figure it out, I'm not doing it. I won't disappear on her, ever."

"Tony..."

"I appreciate your concern, but things will be fine, Natasha. Seriously."

Nat looked at him sadly for a moment before finally nodding.

"Okay," she said. "Just don't get hurt."

"I won't."

They were at his house now, and he was itching to go inside. Nat knew this was their goodbye.

"Thank you for accidentally coming along with Steve and finding me and bringing me here," she said. "It means a lot."

"You're welcome," he nodded.

"I wish you all the best, Tony," she added.

"You too, Nat."

They smiled at one another sadly before Nat turned to leave. When she was gone, Tony turned to look at his house. He wasn't making a mistake. He knew that. His daughter still needed him, and he was going to be there for her. He went inside and found Morgan playing in her room. There were cards on the floor. Was she playing by herself?

"Hey, sweetheart," he said.

"Daddy!" she gasped, jumping to her feet. "You came back!"

"I always come back," he laughed. He wasn't supposed to be gone for long, but including the travel to Bruce and the others and back plus being at the hospital with Steve, he had maybe been gone seven hours. They had pulled that bullet out of him fast, and Mr. Super Soldier was awake faster than usual after surgery. He caught sight of someone sitting on the floor then, and he froze. Could it be...? But...how was it even possible?

"Grandpa's here!" Morgan said cheerfully.

"I see that," Tony responded, his voice sounding strange. If ghosts could faint, this might be that moment, but nothing happened.

"Hello, son," Howard said, bowing his head slightly.

To answer his earlier question to himself: Yes. Yes, things could get more bizarre today.

* * *

**Because the story is focused on Tony, I won't be detouring to show Nat with Clint and Steve returning to Peggy. I may add two bonus chapters at the end showing their versions depending on how much you want to read it ;)**


	10. Ghost Chatter

**Chapter Nine:** **Ghost Chatter**

Tony took in the sight of his father, and he felt all sorts of emotions. He didn't know what to say.

"For once you're speechless aren't you?" Howard asked. Morgan sat on the edge of her bed, feet swinging as she watched the interaction between both of them.

"Sweetheart, why don't you go get ready for bed?" Tony suggested. It was getting late. Pepper should be getting her down soon anyway. He wondered why she wasn't there yet to start the process.

"Okay," Morgan nodded, sliding off the bed and padding to the bathroom to do her teeth.

"What are you doing here?" Tony asked his father once they were alone.

"I never left," Howard answered.

"What...what do you mean?"

"I mean, I died and have been here ever since."

"Are you serious?" Tony asked, incredulous.

"Why would I make it up?" Howard challenged. Tony bit back his response. He didn't want to be at odds with his father again already.

"So what have you been doing all this time?" he asked instead. Howard inhaled and exhaled slowly.

"I've been watching you," he answered.

"You've been watching me," Tony repeated.

"Yea. I haven't run into anyone who could see me until Morgan today. I mean, I'm sure they're out there, but I never came across one. It's been nice talking to someone human again, you know? Ghost chatter is so morbid."

"Ghost chatter?" Tony asked.

"You know, talking to other ghosts. They're usually always so upset or angry about being dead and why they're still here, and the ones who get excited about hanging around for revenge are just plain creepy. It gets heavy after a while. Playing with Morgan has been really great."

"So...so you've just been here watching me since you died?" Tony asked again.

"Stuck on that huh," Howard chuckled. "Yes, son, I've been here since I died."

"And Mom?"

"Seeing you meet a woman and stay with her was all she needed to move on. She didn't want you to be alone."

"I'm done," Morgan announced, returning.

"Good job, sweetie. Now hop into bed," Tony instructed. Morgan obeyed.

"May I?" Howard asked.

"Go ahead," Tony nodded. Howard went to tuck her in and said something to her quietly so that Tony couldn't hear. She giggled and then nodded solemnly.

"I love you," Howard told her.

"Love you too, Grandpa," she said. Tony gestured for them to take the conversation outside. They walked past Pepper going into Morgan's room.

"That's one sweet little girl you've got," Howard said when they were outside.

"She's amazing," Tony agreed. He fiddled with his fingers. He technically didn't have her anymore since he was dead, but he chose to ignore this fact.

"Your mother wanted a girl too," Howard commented. Tony lifted his eyebrows, surprised.

"Did she?"

"Yes. She thought a little sister would do you good."

"I see."

"Might be just as well now," Howard said, looking at him. "She would have lost everyone."

"Let's not keep talking about my hypothetical sister," Tony suggested.

"Fair enough."

They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the crickets and frogs from the lake.

"So why are you still here?" Tony asked eventually. Howard shrugged.

"To be honest, I have no idea. The only thing I can think of is getting to tell you how proud I am of you," he said. "And I mean that, Tony. You have accomplished so much with the company and your personal life. You married a wonderful woman and had a beautiful daughter. You've turned into a fine man, son. I'm sorry I didn't spend more time with you or tell you I loved you enough. It's my biggest regret."

Tony didn't know what to say to this. He had felt good after his talk with his father in the past, and the video his father had left with the personal message to him had also been a surprise. This, though, was different.

"I must admit it's fun to make you speechless," Howard joked.

"Having fun?" Coulson's voice said, making them both turn to look at him.

"What are you doing here?" Tony asked, feeling panicked. Was this his unfinished business? Talking to a present version of his father who knew who he was one last time?

"Mr. Stark," Coulson said to Howard, bowing his head slightly.

"You've come for me," Howard realized. He looked back and forth between Coulson and Tony.

"I'm afraid so," Coulson agreed.

"Wow," Howard said. "After all this time." He looked at Tony, who was staring back at him.

"You can't leave. I just got back here. We're talking," Tony blurted out. He wanted more time with his father. He didn't want to lose him again so soon.

"It's all right, son," Howard said. "I miss your mother very much, and we'll be seeing each other again soon anyway." He got to his feet and began to head towards Coulson.

"I saved you," Tony burst out. Howard raised a brow as he swiveled around again.

"Say that again?" he asked.

"In a different timeline. I saved you. You...you got to live," Tony said.

"I really appreciate that," Howard said. Tony didn't even stop to think if it worked or not. He moved in to hug his father, and when he felt his father hug him back, he almost started to cry. It was more emotional than the last hug he got in 1970, and this time his father knew who he was.

"I love you, Tony," Howard said. "I'll see you soon."

"Don't go," Tony replied quickly. Howard took a step back to Coulson and gave a wave.

"Don't spend forever here, Tony."

"I can't leave her," Tony said. Howard sighed.

"One day you'll understand," he replied. "Just don't get hurt and don't hurt her."

"I won't. What am I gonna do to her?"

"It's actually more you I'm worried about," Howard admitted.

"I know what I'm doing."

"See you soon, son," Howard said. Then he and Coulson vanished. Tony realized after he was gone that he didn't tell his father that he loved him back.

...

Tony went to watch his daughter sleep for a bit before going to watch Pepper watch TV. She looked empty and sad, and he didn't know how to make her feel better. He felt so much anger and rage inside of him at this point. His father was gone for good now. He was angry that he hadn't been given the ability to see his father all these years. He was angry that he only got a half hour with the man before he was gone again. It was cruel. Steamed and ready to explode, he went out to the shed. He paced angrily, fists clenched. Then, he struck out his fist.

"AHHHH!" he screamed, striking the helmet sitting on the bench and sending it flying. He punched his fist through the windows, shattering them. He raged and screamed, hitting and kicking things in his way. Why hadn't he told his father he loved him back? Why had he been chosen to die by Dr. Strange? Why had Thanos and the Snap even happened? Why hadn't he been able to protect the world? Why was he stuck here? Why didn't he want to leave?

"God, if you're really there, why are you doing this to me?!" Tony yelled at the sky. "Why?! Are you really like a mean kid with a magnifying glass over an ant hill like Bruce Almighty claimed? Are you just screwing with me? Are you even there? ANSWER ME!"

Shaking, confused, and emotional, he sat down and put his head into his hands. The light switched on, making him jump. Pepper was looking around the shed, her face showing fear. Happy was next to her, his gun raised.

"You heard something out here for sure?" he asked her.

"Yes. Look at this place! Someone's trashed it," Pepper said, sounding teary. She went to pick up the helmet from the floor and touched it gently.

"I didn't mean to scare you," Tony said. She looked at Happy.

"How did anyone get in here? The door was locked," she said.

"The window is broken," Happy pointed. She went to look.

"The glass is not on the floor, though," she noted. Happy went to look too. He frowned. Then he looked around warily. Tony waved at him, feeling ridiculous for even doing so since the guy couldn't see him.

"I'm sure it was just an animal or something," Happy said, not sounding convincing at all.

"I'm going to look into setting up cameras," Pepper replied.

"I already did," Tony said.

"There's one right there," Happy pointed.

"Let's go look at the footage then," she suggested.

"I'll do it," Happy said quickly. "I'll let you know if there's something to worry about."

Tony was intrigued. Why was Happy not letting her look? Did he suspect something? He followed his old friend to his room in the house where he stayed at times. He watched Happy go through the footage. When things started flying on their own accord, he saw Happy stiffen.

"If you didn't believe in ghosts, I bet you do now," Tony commented. Happy swallowed loudly.

"Well?" Pepper asked from the doorway, making Happy spin around.

"Oh, uh, just a raccoon," Happy said. "Made a mess of the place. There was some garbage left in there that attracted it I think. I guess I need to find where it got in and fix it."

"That's a relief," Pepper said. "Thank you for looking."

"Yea, no problem," Happy agreed. Pepper said goodnight and left them alone. Tony watched Happy drum his fingers nervously on the desk as he watched the footage again.

"If you're really here, Tony, like Morgan says you are," he said suddenly. "Then I feel really bad for you. What torture to watch your family and not be a part of it."

"You have no idea," Tony responded. So his daughter had told Happy about talking to him. He wondered how this would play out in the next while.

...

The next day, Tony watched Morgan on the swing by herself. She pumped her legs hard, giggling every time the wind pushed her hair past her face when she came back down. Happy was there in the yard to give her a push every so often when she requested one, but she mostly did it on her own. She was careful not to talk to Tony or look at him much whenever Happy was around her. Happy didn't say anything to her about last night or if she saw her father still. Tony was struggling on the inside with what to do. Nat and his father's warnings were playing in his head, but he was torn. He didn't want to leave her. He didn't want her to grow up without him and forget him. He didn't want to miss out on her life. He didn't want her to hurt if he left. If he never figured out his unfinished business, then he didn't care. He wanted to ask her what she said to Happy, but he didn't want her to think she was in trouble. If Happy never brought it up with her, then he wouldn't either. Tony made a promise to himself he would never trash anything around the house again. He didn't want to scare Pepper like that again. He looked around at his yard and at the house. Even though he was dead, he was home, and right now, that was all that mattered to him.


	11. You'll Feel Your Age Eventually

**Chapter Ten: ****You'll Feel Your Age Eventually  
**

**First Day of School **

"I'm scared," Morgan said. She was on the edge of her bed, hugging her knees tightly. It was fall now, and Tony had wanted to be here alive for this. He'd have to settle for being a damn ghost.

"What's scaring you?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"What if the other kids are mean to me?"

"What if they're not?"

"That doesn't answer my question," Morgan pointed out.

"If they're mean to you, I'll deal with them," Tony promised. "I'm not going anywhere, kid."

"Okay," she nodded.

"They won't be mean to you, honey. You'll fit right in."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

...

Tony hopped out of the vehicle and watched Pepper say goodbye to Morgan at the steps of the school. They had already come and shown Morgan around the school a week ago, so she knew where to go. The teacher had encouraged Pepper to say goodbye outside, using an inside goodbye as a last resort if needed. Tony thought that was stupid. Who couldn't walk their five year old to their classroom for the first time?

"I'll see you in a few hours," Pepper promised. "Have fun, okay?"

"Okay," Morgan nodded. Tony followed her into the school as Pepper watched from outside. Morgan found her classroom and hung her little backpack up on the hook that had her name on it. She found her desk, and Tony sat cross legged on the floor beside her. Once everyone was inside and the door was closed, the teacher decided to do introductions. When Morgan's name was said, everyone was quiet.

"Oh no," Tony murmured to himself. He had hoped this wouldn't happen. Even the teacher was looking sad. "No, no."

"Yes, my Daddy is Iron Man," Morgan said, jutting her chin out. Everyone tittered at this. Tony smiled at the present tense she used.

"We're glad to have you with us, Morgan," the teacher said. Tony squinted at the board and saw her name was Miss Brown. Everything was going well until lunch time. Tony wanted to bang his head from boredom and from learning stuff he already knew, but he stayed because he wanted to be there for Morgan. They got to the cafeteria, and when Morgan sat at a table, no one sat beside her. Tony felt his heart break as he watched Morgan look around at all the other kids who sat with their friends. Why were they ignoring her?

"She said her daddy is Iron Man," a boy from Morgan's class was saying to an older boy. They looked like brothers Tony surmised.

"Was Iron Man," the brother corrected hotly. Tony bristled. Morgan bowed her head, her hair hiding her face.

"All right," Tony said, getting up. He walked over to the older boy (Tony put him at around 11) and knocked the lunch tray out of his hands.

"What happened?" the boy cried, backing up.

"Knock on me again, and I'll shove a pencil up your nose," Tony warned. Morgan giggled. The boy ran away, his little brother shrugging and joining his friends. Tony went back to Morgan.

"Would you really do that?" she asked him quietly.

"We'll see," Tony smiled. A boy approached them then. He was from Morgan's class Tony remembered. He had been quiet at the back when his name was announced. He also had a nasty scar on his face. Matthew Morgan. Tony had chuckled at this. Now the two "Morgans" were having lunch. How cute was that?

"Hello," Matt said. "Can I sit here?"

"Okay," Morgan nodded.

"Hello, sir," Matt said to Tony, who froze. Morgan's hand stopped halfway to her mouth, sandwich hanging in the air.

"Excuse me?" Tony asked.

"I said hello," Matt answered.

"You can see him too?" Morgan asked. Matt nodded.

"It's a gift," Matt said. "That's what Mommy says anyway."

"Your mommy knows you can see ghosts?" Morgan asked. She had gotten the correct terminology of what Tony was from Tony earlier in the summer. She had insisted.

"Uh huh. She can too. We were both in a bad accident three years ago," Matt said. He stuffed his apple into his mouth, taking a bite.

"You were?"

"Yea. Mommy thinks that's why," Matt said solemnly. "Is that your Daddy?"

"Yes," Morgan nodded. "But it's a secret. No one knows I can see him."

"I can keep a secret," Matt promised. Morgan smiled. Tony gave a small chuckle to himself. He was pretty sure his daughter had just made her first best friend.

**Five Years Later **

"Double digits!" Tony crowed. "Look at you!" He was in Morgan's room as she spun to show off her new dress. Tony had long ago established he wasn't going to be the creepy type of ghost who watched everyone do private things. Well, he might peek at Pepper every now and then, but, to be fair, she was his wife.

"I don't feel ten," Morgan said, standing still again. Her party was about to start. Tony wished he could help Pepper out. He did his best with sliding things over to her while she cooked without her seeing him do it. He was still adamant he didn't want to scare her ever since his temper tantrum in the shed.

"You'll feel your age eventually. Trust me," Tony said. Morgan gave him a look and a smile. Tony was amazed that he was still here to be honest. He had figured something would have triggered his unfinished business, and Coulson would have come for him. Nothing happened. Tony didn't ask. He enjoyed being here.

"Morgan! Matt's here!" Pepper called. Morgan raced down to greet her friend. Tony had a suspicion about Matt, but he hoped he would wait a long time before seeing if it was true, like when Morgan was 30. Or 40. Or never.

Tony came down to the kitchen humming to himself. Other children were starting to arrive, and Tony noticed one of the fathers hovering with Pepper. He narrowed his eyes. Who was this bloke? He inched closer, listening.

"Thank you for inviting Dennis," he was saying to Pepper. "Ever since we lost Lucy, he's been struggling with making friends."

"I'm so sorry," Pepper said, touching the man's arm. Tony tensed.

"Being a single parent is so hard," he went on.

"I know," Pepper nodded. "You're doing so well, though, Tim."

Tim. Yuck. Tony needed to end this. He put his hand into Tim's head, making him sneeze violently.

"Oh gosh!" Pepper exclaimed. "Here, let me get you a tissue." She ran to get one while Tim's eyes watered.

"Stay away from my wife," Tony said to him.

"Here," Pepper said, handing him a tissue.

"Thanks," Tim smiled, taking it.

"No, no! Don't look at her like that! I'm right here!" Tony shouted.

"I'll pick him up later unless you need a hand?" Tim asked.

"She doesn't need your hand," Tony growled.

"I've got Happy, but thank you," Pepper said. They said goodbye, and Tim was gone.

"Who was that?" Happy asked, coming into view then. He already looked tired from the party, and it hadn't even started yet.

"Hm? Oh, Tim," Pepper answered, busying herself with setting out chips and other snacks.

"Tim, eh?"

"He's just a dad of one of the kids here," Pepper said, giving him a look.

"It's been five years, Pep," Happy said to her seriously.

"And I'm still not ready," Pepper said back, crossing her arms and giving Happy a more stern look now.

"Yea, Happy, stop pushing my wife onto other men," Tony warned.

"Got it," Happy bowed his head. "I won't bring it up ever again."

Pepper laughed and squeezed Happy's arm as she passed.

"I know you're just looking out for me," she said. They left together, leaving Tony alone in the kitchen. This was something he hadn't thought of. What if Pepper did meet someone else? What if she married someone else? How could he watch that?

"Are you okay?" Morgan asked, coming in for a drink and seeing him there looking sick.

"Huh? Yea," Tony nodded.

"Is it about Dennis's Dad?" Morgan prodded.

"What do you know about Tim?" Tony demanded.

"I think he likes Mom."

"Yea, well, Tim is stupid," Tony said, sounding childish. He didn't care.

"You coming?" Morgan asked, gesturing to the other room.

"Yea. I'm right behind you," he nodded. He stood in the doorway and watched as the party got started. For some reason, he felt sad. He wished that Pepper could see him too. Maybe then the risk of her finding someone else wouldn't even cross her mind when she was ready.

**One Year Later **

"What is happening here?" Tony asked, seeing Pepper getting dressed up. He had spent the last year in fear of Pepper becoming ready to move on. She looked like she was getting ready for a date. Was she? When had this happened?

"Morgan!" he shouted. His eleven year old daughter came barreling around the corner. She took in the sight of Pepper and inhaled sharply.

"What are you doing?" she asked, making Pepper spin around.

"Oh! You startled me," Pepper said.

"You're getting dressed up," Morgan went on. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm...I'm going on a date," Pepper said hesitantly. "I know I should have said something, but I didn't want to weird you out."

"Why?" Morgan asked.

"Yea, why?" Tony chimed in.

"I don't really know," Pepper sighed, lowering her arms from her hair. "I guess I thought I'd give it a try?"

"But I thought you said you weren't ready?" Morgan pressed.

"I don't know anymore," Pepper said honestly. "I won't know until I try."

"I think it's a bad idea," Morgan insisted.

"It's just dinner," Pepper said. "Nothing major."

"Is it with Tim?"

"Um...yes."

_Damn that Tim_, Tony thought. He cracked his knuckles. Game on.

"He's super weird," Morgan said.

"How so?"

"He just is."

"Morgan, I'm sorry if this is upsetting you, but I am kind of lonely," Pepper said, looking at her daughter. Morgan started to cry.

"Please don't do it," Morgan whispered.

"Honey, I will never stop loving your father, if that's what you're upset about. Trust me, I think about him every single day, and I know if he was watching, he would tell me not to go either."

"Damn right," Tony agreed.

"But I just want to try," Pepper went on, putting her hands on Morgan's shoulders. "If it is awkward and weird, I won't do it again."

"With anyone?"

"Well...not with Tim anyway," Pepper said. "But I'm not exactly going to go out looking either. If it happens, it happens."

"Dad would be sad," Morgan tried.

"I think in his heart of hearts your father would want me to be happy," Pepper said gently. Tony swallowed at this. She was right even though he hated to admit it. How could he expect her to stay single forever? It was very unrealistic of him. If he was in her shoes, he wasn't sure what he would do.

"Let her go," Tony said out loud. He saw Morgan stiffen.

"Are you okay?" Pepper asked her.

"Just dinner, right?" Morgan clarified.

"Just dinner."

"Okay. I suppose I could let it happen," she sniffed. Pepper gave her a tight hug and then went off to grab her purse and head for the car. Tony stood beside Morgan, torn between following her and not wanting to watch the date.

"Is she right? Do you want her to see other people?" Morgan asked him.

"I want her to be happy, and if that means dating, then I guess I don't really have the right to be mad, do I?" he commented.

"You'll always be my Dad. No one will ever replace you."

"I know that, sweetheart. I know. Now, excuse me, I have a date to watch."

"Dad!"

...

"This guy is so boring," Tony said, his chin in his hand as he leaned on the table. Tim wouldn't shut up about his job, which was to do with something involving something. Tony didn't care to know. He looked over at Pepper, who also was looking bored. If he knew his wife, and he liked to think he did, he knew she would be calling it a night soon.

"I'm sorry," Tim said after a while. "I'm rambling. I just...I don't know how to date anymore. I was only ever with Lucy."

"It's all right," Pepper smiled.

"How has it been for you? What's it been...six years now?" Tim asked.

"Yes," Pepper nodded.

"I've only been four," Tim said, fiddling with his wedding band. "I still can't take this off."

"Me either," Pepper said, showing him hers.

"It's like they're still here, you know?" Tim laughed.

"Um, I am here, bud," Tony said. He didn't see Lucy, so he figured Lucy must have moved on.

"I feel Tony all the time," Pepper said.

"You do?" Tony asked.

"Could you imagine what he would say if he was watching right now?" Tim joked.

"Aha ha ha," Tony said. He flicked water from Tim's drink into his face.

"Oh!" Pepper exclaimed. Tim wiped it away, laughing.

"Maybe that's him telling me to buzz off," Tim said.

"Oh, you better buzz off," Tony warned.

They continued talking about the bizarre water trick and what their spouses would be saying right now if they were watching. Tony tuned it out because he felt annoyed. Then, Pepper brought his interest back with her next statement.

"I have to be honest and say that I thought I was ready, but I don't know if I ever will be," Pepper said. "I hope you don't take it personally, Tim, but I think I'd just like to be friends if that's okay."

"It's totally okay," Tim agreed. "Cos I don't think I'm ready either."

"Well, if ever one day," Pepper said, touching his hand.

"You know where to find me," Tim smiled.

"Enough touching," Tony ordered, and Pepper pulled her hand back as though she had heard him. Pepper and Tim finished their dinner, and he walked her to the car. They hugged and parted ways. Tony rode with Pepper home. She stopped in the driveway and turned off the lights, not moving. Then she started to cry big, heaving sobs.

"Oh, honey," Tony said. Pepper banged her hand on the steering wheel.

"I miss you so much," she said. "I can't stop missing you. I ache from missing you. I wish you were still here. I wish you were never Ironman. I wish you had just stayed here with me..." She trailed off, crying. Tony felt terrible. He had always known the stress his being Ironman had caused her, but seeing her like this made it really sink in.

"I'm so sorry, Pepper," he said softly. She wiped at her eyes and blew her nose then. She gave one short, loud exhale and got out of the car. Tony stayed put, lost in his own thoughts. Maybe his father and Nat had been right. Maybe his staying there really wasn't a good idea. He looked at his house. Maybe he was hurting Morgan by being there. He pressed his fingers into his forehead then, stressed. This was one of those times where he wished he had just passed on and not gotten stuck here to watch his family live on without him. Maybe it was time to start figuring out his unfinished business and move on. He just wanted his family to be happy, and maybe that would be achieved when he was gone for good. As much as it hurt to think, it seemed more and more to be the right thing to do. Then again, there was just something that seemed to make him want to stay. He saw Morgan looking out the window. She was probably looking for him since Pepper came home.

"All right," he said to himself. "If it happens and I leave, fine. If I can't figure it out and stay, fine. Either way, I'm just letting things happen." He got out of the car and went towards the house. He was leaving it all up to fate now.


	12. Keep Your Lips to Yourself

** Chapter Eleven:** **Keep Your Lips to Yourself  
**

**Three Years Later  
**

Tony was sitting with Happy out back when he saw Matt and Morgan go running past.

"Hi, Happy!" Morgan shouted. Matt waved. Tony watched them carefully. They were both 14 now. He was starting to not trust Matt so much. He was pondering on chasing after them when Happy stood up.

"I'm on it, boss," he said out loud. "If you're watching, that is." Tony guffawed as Happy silently walked after Morgan and Matt. Happy had never brought it up to Morgan whether or not she saw Tony, but Tony wondered if Happy had a hunch Tony was still around anyway. Every so often he would say something as though Tony were listening. The two of them carefully walked in on Matt and Morgan kissing.

"Hey!" Tony shouted. They sprung apart, looking embarrassed. Happy stood with his arms crossed, glaring at them.

"What are you doing?" Happy asked.

"Um, nothing?" Morgan tried.

"I'm sorry," Matt said quickly.

"You better be, and you better keep your lips to yourself, or I will remove them myself," Happy threatened.

"Happy!" Morgan cried, shocked.

"I'd pay to see that," Tony commented. Morgan bit her tongue to prevent responding to him in front of Happy.

"I'm sorry," Matt said again. "I just really like her."

"Oh, you really like her. Well, let me tell you something, if her old man were here, he'd be putting you through the ringer. You'd probably have to win a sword fight with him just to hold her hand."

"More like him against me in my suit, but whatever," Tony commented.

"I'll keep my lips to myself," Matt promised, folding his hands in front of him. He avoided looking at Tony.

"I don't see what's wrong with it," Morgan argued. "It's just kissing."

"Then it's just this and just that and then uh oh! I'm gonna be a mommy," Happy cut in. "No. You're too young."

"I'm 14! And ew! I wouldn't do _that_," Morgan argued.

"Oh boy," Tony sighed.

"On behalf of your father, I say no dating until at least 16."

"18," Tony corrected.

"Mom!" Morgan shouted, rushing away. Happy went after her. Tony was left with Matt.

"I'm sorry, sir," Matt said once they were alone.

"I knew this day was going to come," Tony sighed.

"I really like her, sir. A lot."

"I know."

"I would never hurt her."

"Come have this talk with me again in two years," Tony said. "And maybe I'll say yes."

"I should get going home now," Matt said as they could hear voices shouting from the house.

"You do that," Tony agreed. He hurried to the house to see what was happening and if he could assist in any way. Really, though, what was he going to do? It was up to Pepper on how to handle this.

"Mom, it's not fair. All the girls have boyfriends at school," Morgan complained.

"Good for them. If they all cut off their hair, would you cut yours too?" Pepper challenged.

"Why do you always do that?" Morgan asked angrily.

"I think I know where I'm not needed," Happy said, backing away. Pepper waited for him to be gone before talking again.

"Hand holding is okay," she said. "The odd kiss...okay. No more than that, you hear me?"

"What?!" Tony exploded.

"You got it," Morgan nodded.

"I trust Matt," Pepper went on. "And I trust you. If either of you break that trust, it stops until you're older."

"Understood," Morgan agreed. Tony gaped at his wife. What was happening here?!

"You're almost 15, and I know you'll make good choices," Pepper finished.

"Thanks, Mom," Morgan said, hugging her tightly.

"Yea, thanks a lot, Mom," Tony said sarcastically. Morgan ran off without looking at him. Pepper sighed and then laughed to herself.

"Oh, Tony," she said. "You would straight up have a heart attack if you knew what I just did."

"If I could die again, then yea, I probably would," Tony agreed. His daughter was dating. How was he going to protect her now?

...

For the next few months, Tony inserted himself into all of Morgan's dates. His daughter was not pleased, but Matt had too much respect for Tony to complain.

"Where are we going today, Maguna?" he asked, using her childhood nickname. It was Saturday, and they were getting onto their bikes. It was hard to keep up with them, but he pulled it off.

"Maguna," Matt chuckled. "I like it."

"Daaaad," Morgan whined.

"The ice cream place was nice," Tony went on, ignoring her. "Let's go back there."

"Dad, please just stay home this time," Morgan pleaded. Tony regarded them both. Perhaps he was being too overprotective.

"Okay, but if you're not home by supper, I'm coming to look for you."

"Deal," Morgan said eagerly. Tony watched them go, and then he decided to follow anyway.

...

Tony sat outside on the park bench while Morgan and Matt sat inside. He kept his distance. He didn't want her to know he had followed exactly. He shrank down when he heard them come back out, laughing. He closed his eyes and grimaced when Matt went to kiss her. He still was not used to that. Then, there was a loud squeal of brakes followed by a thud. Tony wrenched his eyes open in time to see Matt go flying.

"MATT!" Morgan screamed, racing over to him. Tony got there first.

"Kid?" he called. "Matt?!"

"S-Sir?"

Tony spun to see Matt standing next to him.

"No," Tony said. "No!"

"Oh my God!" Morgan freaked, looking at both of them.

"NO!" Tony roared. His daughter was not losing two people she loved.

"Matt," Morgan whimpered. Matt stood and stared at his own body on the ground, in complete shock.

"Start chest compressions!" Tony yelled at her. "Now!"

"Daddy, he's dead," Morgan cried.

"Just do it!"

She bent down and rolled Matt over onto his back. His eyes were staring.

"Now, Morgan!"

She did a few halfhearted ones. Tony grew frustrated. If Steve Rogers could be dead for two minutes and come back, then so could this kid.

"I don't know what I'm doing," she said, crying.

"Move," Tony ordered. A crowd had gathered now. Sirens could be heard. Tony mustered all his emotion and pushed down on Matt's chest. He made contact. Encouraged, he did it over and over. Morgan was still sobbing, but Tony couldn't focus on her right now.

"Come on, kid!" he shouted. He slammed his fist into Matt's chest once, twice, three times.

Matt gasped and opened his eyes.

"Miss, you gotta move," a paramedic said. Morgan skidded backwards as they hovered around Matt, who was in great pain but alive. Tony was shaking all over. He had saved Matt's life. That kid had almost died twice in his life. He felt worried about what or when the third time was going to be. He hoped it wouldn't be for a very long time.

...

Tony sat in Matt's hospital room watching him. When the nurse finally left, Matt turned to look at him.

"You saved me," he said.

"Yea, well, Morgan can't have two ghosts hanging around and driving her nuts," Tony replied.

"I can't imagine what it's been like for you to be trapped like that," Matt went on.

"It's not all bad," Tony shrugged.

"Well...thank you."

"Just get better, okay? Maguna needs you," Tony said. The kid had really grown on him, and he knew he was good for Morgan after all. Matt smiled and nodded. His one leg was broken along with some ribs and a shoulder, but he was going to live. That was what was important.

...

Tony watched Morgan sleep that night. He wondered how good it was for him to be hanging around like this. Then again, he had saved Matt today, and if he hadn't been there, Matt would have died. Pepper had been terrified when she had heard the news. This no doubt triggered her about Tony's death. He wished he could hug her and make her feel better. He wished a lot of things, really.

"Don't come looking for me, Coulson," Tony said out loud. "I'm not going to bother looking for my unfinished business anymore because I am right where I need to be."


	13. The World's Best Kept Secret

**Chapter Twelve: The World's Best Kept Secret **

**A Year and a Half Later**

"Your sixteenth birthday," Tony said, smiling at his daughter. "I got to see it. I'm so happy."

"I guess I'm not getting my first car," Morgan teased.

"Oh, no. I have something much better for you," Tony grinned. "Come on." It was just the two of them right now. Matt was going to be over after work. The kid had really grown on Tony, and he hoped that the boy never stopped loving his daughter because he couldn't bear the thought of getting used to a new guy dating Morgan.

"I'm intrigued now," Morgan laughed, following him. He led her down to the room that no one had touched in 11 years. He went through it, and Morgan went in behind him. She turned on the lights.

"What is this?" she asked, gasping. Her father's suits were hanging in their containers.

"I, uh, made some more of these and never told your mother," Tony explained. "And, it's time for you to put one on."

"Are you serious?" Morgan asked. "I...I'm not ready."

"I'm not asking you to go to war," Tony chuckled. "I'm telling you that you can try one out and when you're ready, you can be the next Iron Man woman."

"Nice cover up," Morgan smirked.

"Or you can give yourself your own name like War Machine did. I don't care. Anyway, happy birthday," Tony said. "I was always going to do this for your sixteenth birthday anyway, so at least I got to do this much."

"It means so much to me," Morgan said. Tony smiled. He felt very happy. He just wished he was there in person.

"Dad?" Morgan asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yea, why?"

"You're fading," Morgan said, her voice scared. "Is that good or bad?"

"Um, I...I think it's not good," Tony said, looking down at himself. He suddenly felt weird. He looked at his hands, and they were indeed starting to disappear.

"Dad?" she said, panicked.

"It's okay," he started, trying to reassure her. Despite everything, he didn't want to go. He'd settle for being his daughter's ghost forever. He thought he had made that clear to Coulson. Had he unintentionally done his unfinished business? Was it the passing down of the suit?

"What's happening?" she asked, starting to cry. "Dad?"

"It...it's time," he said. His head was spinning. Things were getting out of focus.

"Daddy, don't go!" she cried. He hadn't heard her call him Daddy since Matt had almost died almost two years ago.

"I love you 3,000, Maguna," he said.

"Daddy? DADDY!"

Her scream echoed in his head as he faded away.

...

Tony opened his eyes, and he immediately noticed that this wasn't the afterlife. He was under a dome to begin with, and he felt like he was on fire. Everywhere.

"Help," he croaked. Then he choked. There was something down his throat.

"Brother!" a voice cried. "Come quick!"

"Burns," Tony tried to say. Oh, it burned. The dome was lifted with a hiss of air being released, and fresh air reached his lungs.

"Hang on," the voice said, and Tony felt tubes being removed. He gagged on the one being pulled from his mouth.

"What is it, sister?" a second voice said. Tony was trying to place these voices. They sounded familiar.

"He's awake," the first voice said.

"It burns," Tony said, his throat clear of the tube now.

"I know. Just hang on," the first voice told him. Tony felt a soothing, cool feeling on his limbs then. It was some kind of cream being put on his skin. Tony blinked into the brightness, and a face came into view.

"Welcome back, Iron Man," T'Challa smiled.

...

Morgan was crying hysterically. Her father was gone, really gone. She always knew this couldn't last forever, but when he stayed for this whole time, she felt he was never going to leave after all.

"Morgan?" Pepper called, coming down the stairs. She had heard the crying. She wondered why Morgan was even down there. She came into the room and gasped. Tony's suits were there. How had Morgan found them? Pepper had found them not too long after Tony had died, and she was angry that he had made more, but she had also kept them because she liked to come sit with them and play his recorded voice and pretend he was really with her still.

"He's gone," Morgan cried. Pepper pulled her into her arms.

"I know, sweetheart. Seeing all this makes it hurt again doesn't it?"

"No. You don't get it. He's really gone," Morgan said.

"I don't understand," Pepper said, puzzled.

"He never left," Morgan said, pulling back. "After he died, he came back as a ghost. I could see him and talk to him. He's been here ever since, and now he's gone. Something happened, and he disappeared. He's really gone." She started to cry harder. Pepper stared at her, trying to understand what her daughter had just told her. Tony had been there with them? What?

"He was here?"

"Yes! What part of that don't you understand?" Morgan asked, getting angry now.

"I just...I just am trying to process this," Pepper stated.

"He was here because he had unfinished business to take care of. I think...I think him telling me I could have a suit was it. He disappeared right after!"

"I wish you had told me sooner," Pepper lamented. She would have told Tony some things. It was still so bizarre.

"Dad made me swear," Morgan said.

"That sounds like him," Pepper sighed. She smoothed her daughter's hair gently. "I'm so sorry you had to lose him again."

"I can't do this without him," Morgan whimpered. She hugged her mother tightly again.

"I know, honey," Pepper said. "I know."

...

"What is this?" Tony asked, looking at T'Challa a.k.a. Black Panther, who was still smiling at him. His sister, Shuri, was working at something on the screen.

"You're alive," T'Challa said simply.

"That is stating the obvious. How am I alive?"

"It was all Shuri really. She had the idea."

"It was Vision, really, who gave me the idea," Shuri said, looking embarrassed.

"Wait, so I'm the next Vision?" Tony asked, alarmed.

"No, no, no," Shuri said, shaking her head. "I got in contact with Dr. Cho. She helped repair your tissue on your arm, cheek, and affected side of the torso like she did for your friend Hawkeye. She did the best she could, but the power from the infinity stones made it so your skin isn't completely healed even with the surgery."

"Okay," Tony said. "I'm following so far."

"I used vibranium with technology to keep you alive and heal the damage done to your brain and nerves from the infinity stones. The only problem was, you went into a coma, and it we didn't want to risk hurting you by forcing you out of it. I left the treatment going and monitored your progress. We also had someone come to move your limbs daily so that your muscles wouldn't atrophy. I suggest that you spend some time moving around, though, to get things going again. The reports said that you were healed fully last year, but you didn't wake up. I'm not sure what has made you regain consciousness all of a sudden."

"You waited 11 years for me to wake up," Tony said. He knew what had woken him up. His unfinished business. What he didn't understand was why have that when he wasn't really dead? Coulson wasn't around to explain it to him. He might never get the answers, but he didn't really care at this point. He just wanted to get home.

"I never gave up hope," Shuri responded. "T'Challa grew skeptical, of course."

"I did not," T'Challa objected, faking outrage.

"You had your doubts," Shuri corrected.

"So why let my family believe I was dead?" Tony asked. He could still hear Morgan's screams in his mind.

"I didn't want to give them false hope," Shuri bowed her head. "If this didn't work, I didn't want them to get hurt again."

"I see. Am I free to go?"

"I just want to do some scans to make sure you're going to be fine."

"All right. Hurry up then. I have a hysterical daughter I need to calm down," Tony said. Both T'Challa and Shuri stared at him.

"What?" T'Challa asked.

"It's a long story," Tony sighed. "I'll tell you some other time."

"Up here, please," Shuri said, not pressing the issue. Tony got settled into her scanner. He closed his eyes.

"So why am I burning?" he asked.

"I believe that's the effect of the infinity stones. I created a cream for it that has a 24 hour lasting effect. I can't fix it permanently unfortunately."

"How did you know to create it?"

"Bruce," T'Challa said. "His arm burned all the time."

"He was here? Did he know about me?" Tony asked.

"No," T'Challa shook his head. "You are the world's best kept secret."

"Not for long," Tony commented.

"Stop talking, please," Shuri ordered. He obeyed. The sooner this was over, the sooner he could go home.

**Two Days Later **

Morgan was sitting on the swing on the front porch, looking out at the lake desolately. She missed her father. She wondered what had happened to him and where he was. Matt had been just as shocked at the news. He had done his best to comfort her, but she was too upset to be comforted. She had sent him home an hour ago.

"I hope you can still see me," she said out loud. "I hope you know that I love you 3,000. I'm sorry I didn't say it back before it was too late." She felt the tears again. She didn't think she'd ever stop.

"I always know that you love me 3,000," Tony said, making her spin around. Her mouth gaped.

"Dad?" she whispered, not believing it.

"Hi, Maguna" he said, smiling and giving a small wave. Morgan jumped up and hurried over to him.

"You...you're not a ghost," she said, reaching to touch him. He was warm.

"I am not."

"What happened? Why are you here? I thought you were dead?" she asked.

"Apparently Black Panther and his sister secretly took my body back home with them to heal. I have been in a coma for 11 years."

"But...why were you a ghost?"

"I have no idea about that one."

"Because you were caught between living and dying," Coulson's voice said, startling them both.

"Oh, there you are," Tony said. "I was looking for you."

"I know," Coulson said.

"So...it was his soul that was lost?" Morgan asked.

_Two lost souls... _Tony remembered the Ancient One calling them that. Had she known?

"So to speak," Coulson nodded.

"And Nat?"

"No one had her body in a coma," Coulson explained. "So she has passed on. She's all right. She says hi."

"So the majority of ghosts do pass on to death," Tony said.

"Yes. The exception is coma patients, but we didn't know you were in a coma, though. Obviously."

"Is it possible me finishing my business by passing on the title of Iron Man to Morgan is what woke me up?"

"I doubt it," Coulson admitted. "When you didn't arrive to the next phase, I grew concerned. I checked here a couple of times, but you were gone. I didn't know what had happened until we spotted you walking up the drive just now."

"So if I had just passed on the title sooner, I would have woken up?" Tony asked, feeling annoyed at himself.

"I wasn't old enough," Morgan chimed in. "Remember?"

"Still..."

"Like I said, I don't believe that had anything to do with it. Your body probably just said it was time to wake up. If everything is good here, then I'll be on my way," Coulson finished.

"Take care," Tony said.

"I'll see you again," Coulson winked.

"Don't!" Tony ordered, pointing at him. Coulson just laughed and disappeared. Morgan grabbed onto him then, hugging him tightly.

"Morgan?" Pepper called. Tony tensed. He had dreamed of this moment for so long.

"Mom!" Morgan answered. "Over here!"

"Morgan, are you...?" Pepper's words died on her lips. She stood frozen, staring at Tony.

"Hey, Pep," he said. She started to shake.

"Tony?" she whispered, her eyes widening. "Is that really you?"

"It's me," he nodded. Granted he looked a bit like a burn victim and had a bit of a twitch in his right hand, but it was still him. He held out his other arm for her, and she threw herself into it, starting to cry. Tony held onto his girls, rocking them back and forth and feeling his own tears start to fall. He had his family back.

"How?" Pepper asked after a moment. "How is this possible?"

"Vibranium technology, Shuri, and Black Panther," Tony answered. "I'll tell you all about it after. How are you?"

"I'm in shock," Pepper admitted. "I'm confused, but I'm so, so happy."

"I love you."

"I love you too," she said, hugging him again and kissing him. Tony felt pure bliss. He was home. They went inside, talking and laughing and hugging.

"I told her," Morgan murmured to him as Pepper raced inside to make sure they were going to be alone for a while. Happy was out until the next day he noticed. Tony couldn't wait to see him. He couldn't wait to see everyone, especially Peter. He was going to see Peter as soon as possible. He had checked in on him from time to time, but it was painful to watch him and not be able to talk to him, just like with Pepper.

"You did?" Tony asked.

"Yea. She believed me."

"Well, that should be fun to talk about," Tony joked.

"I can't believe you're really here," Pepper said, coming back and taking his hand to lead him to the couch.

"I can't either," Tony agreed.

"You have a lot to tell me," she said. "Morgan told me you were here as a ghost?"

"Right."

"So get started," she said, eyes twinkling. She cuddled into him as he started to talk. Morgan was on his other side. This was all he had ever wanted. This was his future. He had never felt so grateful in his entire life. He got a second chance, and he was going to use it well.

* * *

**I'm sure someone else has done the coma thing already, but it was my plan since the beginning of this story. I actually wrote this chapter first. I borrowed the ghost in a coma idea from the film Just Like Heaven. I hope you were surprised by the twist! I did think of a different ending where he stayed dead and Pepper eventually joined him and then Morgan in the end, but I thought this was nicer. Maybe vibranium wouldn't have healed him, but I don't care lol that is what I am sticking with. I have one chapter left, and yes, he will be going to see Peter in it ;) And as promised, I will do two extra chapters for Steve and Nat like I mentioned before.**


	14. What the? How did? When did? What the?

**Chapter Thirteen: ****What the...? How did...? When did...? What the...?**

Tony woke with a start the next morning, gasping. He clutched at himself, checking to see that he was still alive.

"Tony?" Pepper asked, sitting up beside him.

"I'm okay," he answered. "Just checking."

"I can't imagine how you must have felt all this time," Pepper said, rubbing his back slowly.

"You would have joined me eventually," he teased.

"And you saw me go on a date! I'm so sorry," she apologized, feeling sick about it.

"You didn't know. Honey, I don't blame you for moving on. I didn't want you to be lonely. You could have picked a better guy, though. He was kind of nerdy."

"You're just as nerdy as he is if not more so," Pepper objected.

"But I'm a hot nerd. There's a big difference," he argued, making her laugh.

"Well, I don't ever have to go on a date again, and I prefer it that way," she smiled.

"So you won't even go on a date with me? That's harsh," he said, faking outrage.

"You know what I mean!" she cried, laughing harder. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

"Honestly, if we never leave this room, I'll be a happy man for the rest of my life," he told her. She kissed him soundly, pushing him back down. He definitely didn't want to leave the room then.

...

"Okay, so I got the cereal you like, but they didn't have the kind of bread you like, so I improvised. I hope that's-" Happy stopped mid sentence when he finally looked up from the bags of groceries to see Tony sitting a the counter sipping coffee.

"Oh, hello," Tony said. Happy dropped the bag he was holding. Luckily, it was nothing that broke upon impact.

"T-T-Tony?" he spluttered. Then he narrowed his eyes. "Loki? You better not be Loki you son of a bitch." He had heard about the shape shifting Loki from Tony before. He made to charge, but Tony held up his hands.

"Whoa! Not Loki. It's me. Loki's dead...I think. Maybe not," he pondered. Loki had taken the Tesseract and disappeared on their time heist. He could be alive somewhere. Possibly. He shook his head. He was done thinking about people that weren't important to him.

"Prove it," Happy said, crossing his arms.

"You have the name 'Betty' tattooed on the back of your left calve and you claim it's because you love Betty Boop but it's really because you dated a girl named Betty, and she dumped you after promising to be together forever," Tony told him.

"It _is_ you!" Happy exclaimed. He grabbed Tony into a bear hug then, practically lifting Tony up off the floor.

"Easy, easy!" Tony yelped. Happy set him down and then stood back to look at him.

"I don't believe it," Happy said. "How is this possible?"

"Long story short, I was in Wakanda in a coma, and I was caught between life and death as a ghost, so I stayed here."

"Morgan could see you!" Happy cried. "She told me she could, and I kind of believed it after the whole shed incident thing."

"I'm sorry about that, man. I was just really pissed off."

"No kidding! I couldn't even imagine. When did you get here?"

"Last night."

"Morgan and Pepper must be so happy. And Peter! Man, Peter has been so messed up since you've been gone."

"I haven't gone to see Peter yet. I was hoping you would know where he was. I lost track of him a while ago."

"I'll find him. He will be so thrilled. My God, Tony!" Happy crowed, hugging him again.

"Love ya too, buddy," Tony said, patting Happy's back.

"I see you discovered our fantastic news," Pepper said, coming in then.

"It's the best news I've ever had," Happy grinned. Tony smiled at them both. It was so good to be here.

...

"You sure about this?" Tony asked Morgan. They were parked outside of Matt's home.

"Yes! He wants to see you. He still talks about how you saved his life."

"All right. Then I gotta go see Peter."

And Hulk. And Rhodey. And whoever else he could think of.

"Here he comes," Morgan said. Matt hurried over to the car, and Tony got out.

"It is so good to see you," Matt said, pumping Tony's hand. "I wanted to do that forever."

"Nice to see you too, kid. No near deaths lately?"

"None," Matt grinned. "I'm extra careful now. I'm lucky Mom lets me leave the house at all."

"We are going to see Peter," Morgan told him. "Come for dinner tonight?" She looked at Tony for permission after.

"Yea, I'd love to," Matt nodded after Tony gave a nod of agreement.

"See you then," Morgan said, giving him a hug. They both watched her get back into the car before Tony turned to Matt.

"Just so you know, I am still considering that whole sword fight thing," Tony warned him, but he was smiling.

"I would do anything for her," Matt said seriously. "Do I get to wear a suit too?"

"Ha! In your dreams," Tony snorted. They grinned at each other then.

"I really lo- care for her, sir," Matt said, correcting himself as he worried what Tony would say about being in love as a teenager.

"When you know, you know," Tony said, thinking about Pepper. "I wouldn't want anyone else to care about Morgan, if you know what I mean."

"I don't plan on going anywhere," Matt promised. Of course they were still young, and things could change, but Tony just had a feeling.

"See you later," he said after a moment before he fist bumped Matt and got back into the car.

"He's a good kid," Tony said as they started driving.

"He's the best," Morgan nodded. Tony smiled. The best was what he always wanted for her.

...

Tony parked and got out. He wasn't sure where he was or why Peter would be living here, but he knew Peter had been struggling. Morgan waited in the car. She knew this would be emotional and personal. Tony knocked hard. He heard footsteps inside.

"Who is it?" a voice called. Peter. He sounded older. Then again, he was older.

"Knock, knock," Tony said.

"Who's there?" Peter asked on cue.

"Tony."

"Tony?!" Peter exclaimed. The door opened, and he stood staring at his mentor.

"That's not how the joke goes. You say, 'Tony who?' and I say Tony Freaking Stark, baby!" Tony joked. "You botched it."

"Am I high?" Peter asked. "Or drunk? Or dead?" He pinched at his arm.

"I can positively say you're alive, but I don't know about the other two," Tony commented.

"How? When?"

"Long story, and yesterday," Tony answered.

"Oh my God," Peter cried, throwing himself into Tony's arms and hugging him tightly.

"I know," Tony said.

"You were dead."

"Not so much apparently," Tony explained.

"I can't believe it. Sir, I've been so depressed. I never recovered fully after you were gone."

"Stop it with the sirs already. You're almost a sir yourself now."

Peter was crying by this point, so Tony kept hugging him. He felt a little emotional himself to be honest.

"You wanna come to the house for a few days?" he asked. Peter nodded into his shoulder. "All right. Pack a bag. Come on." Peter hurried off to do so, and Tony went back to the car to wait.

"He was always so sad," Morgan said. "Even in our texts I could tell he was sad."

"You kept in touch with him?" Tony asked, surprised.

"Well, yea."

"My sweet girl," Tony smiled at her. Peter was back within moments. He climbed into the back of the car.

"Have you seen the others yet?" he asked.

"I'm on my way there now," Tony answered, pulling out onto the road.

"I can't believe this," Peter kept saying.

Tony still couldn't believe it either.

...

Tony walked into the new Avengers compound and found Rhodey on a conference call with Captain Marvel, who was giving him an update. She stopped talking as soon as she saw Tony, eyes widening in shock.

"What's wrong?" Rhodey asked her, frowning.

"Turn around," she answered, pointing. Rhodey obeyed, and he jumped in shock.

"Tony?!" he asked, incredulous.

"Hey," Tony grinned.

"What the...? How did...? When did...? What the...?" Rhodey garbled.

"A little thing called vibranium, and a friend called Black Panther," Tony replied.

"Holy shit," Rhodey breathed.

"Yea, I know," Tony agreed. Morgan and Peter stood and watched the reunion as Rhodey hugged Tony.

"The others won't believe this."

"They kind of have to," Tony joked.

"I'll call back later," Captain Marvel said. "Good to see you again, Tony."

"You too," Tony waved at her. She ended the call and vanished. Within moments, he was surrounded by Bruce, Wanda, Scott, Bucky, and Sam. It was pandemonium almost, and everyone was shocked and thrilled. Wanda called Clint, whose shout over the phone was loud enough for the world to hear. Peter got some hugs as well since everyone knew how badly he was affected by the loss.

"You got the shield," Tony noted to Sam, who nodded.

"I honestly wasn't expecting it," Sam replied. "It still feels weird."

"You got married," Tony said to Scott, noticing the ring.

"Yea. Hope and I tied the knot about seven years ago," Scott grinned.

"Wanda?" Tony asked, looking at her. There wasn't much to notice except she was older.

"I have a little girl now," Wanda smiled. "I found her on a mission, orphaned, and I adopted her."

"So much has happened," Tony said. "Bruce?"

"Well, I still do research and stuff, and I miss Nat every single day, but I no longer have to miss you," Bruce smiled.

"Clint?"

Clint explained over the phone how he was now a grandpa but could still fight like a young man.

"Nat came to say goodbye," he added after. "She wrote to me on a pad of paper. She said she saw you, that you were okay."

"She was right," Tony confirmed. Then he explained what had happened to him, which left what he wanted to say to Bucky.

"Steve saved you from HYDRA," he told Bucky. "When he went back."

"He did?" Bucky asked, surprised. Then he looked a little choked up.

"Yea."

"How do you know that?" Bruce asked.

"Nat and I helped," Tony answered. Bucky looked at him, somber. He knew how much Tony hated him, so he felt surprised to hear it but also grateful.

"Thank you," he said to Tony. "That must have been difficult."

"I wasn't just saving you. I was saving my parents too, so don't get all mushy on me and don't get hijacked again by the bad guys, okay?" Tony replied.

"You got it." Bucky knew that was the best Tony would give to him right now, and he was okay with it. It was progress.

There was a flicker of blue light suddenly, and Thor's face came into view. He squinted at everyone over the comms.

"She wasn't lying!" Thor exclaimed. Tony waved at him.

"Who?" he asked.

"Danvers. She just told me you were alive, and I had to see for myself. I don't believe it!" Thor shouted.

"That seems to be the common response," Tony agreed.

"I'm coming down there as soon as I can. We can have a beer together."

"That sounds excellent," Tony smiled. Thor briefly filled him in on where he had been the last 11 years. He was still wandering with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and he was enjoying it.

"Oh the rabbit says hello," Thor said once he was done.

"Raccoon, man, I'm a damn raccoon how many times do I have to tell you?!" Rocket's voice hollered from the background. The other Guardians said their hellos and excitement over his return.

Then Tony finished the rest of his story, and everyone shared their thoughts and exclamations about it all. Tony was glad to be alive. He had missed his friends so much on top of missing Pepper. He'd never lost Morgan, which he was so grateful for.

"I feel like that might have happened to me once," Bruce said. "Seeing a girl in my apartment who was a ghost."

"Maybe," Tony agreed.

"It could have been nothing too," Bruce added.

"I have a favor to ask," Tony said to him then, interrupting.

"Sure. What is it?"

Tony leaned in to tell him quietly. Bruce looked at him carefully after.

"Are you sure?"

"Yea, I'm sure," Tony agreed.

"What's going on?" Morgan asked.

"We're gonna suit up," Tony answered. There was one more person he wanted to see, and someone he wanted Morgan to meet.

**1945**

Steve heard the knock on the door, and he paused. He and Peggy had agreed that he would stay on the down low. There was no need to get everyone freaked out. Bucky was staying with them too for now until he got his own place. They didn't want HYDRA finding and nabbing him again.

"Open up!" a voice called. Steve peered through the curtain, and his jaw dropped.

"Tony?" he asked, pulling the door open. Tony pushed through with a teenage girl behind him. Steve stared at both of them as he closed the door.

"The one and only," Tony answered, grinning.

"What are you doing here? How are you even here?"

Tony quickly explained it all to Steve, who was flabbergasted by it all but also very happy.

"This must be Morgan," Steve said.

"Yes," she nodded, smiling shyly.

"It feels like only an hour since I've seen you. You grew up fast," Steve joked.

"Where is Howard?" Tony asked.

"At work."

"Get him here. I want him to meet his granddaughter."

"He's still in a loop since the whole 'I'm a ghost from the future' thing," Steve laughed.

"I bet he is."

"He was talking about the Pym particles and going to the future to see you both."

"Well, I'll save him a trip."

"I'll call him right now," Steve agreed. "Well, Peggy, but she will tell him."

"So this is 1945," Morgan mused while Steve was on the phone. Tony put his arm around her.

"Yea. Bet you're glad you don't live here."

"Am I ever," she laughed.

"He's on his way," Steve said, hanging up. "It is really good to see you." They hugged finally.

"I'm glad you went to live some life," Tony said. "You suit this era better than ours."

Steve laughed.

"You're right," he agreed. "Tea?"

"And crumpets? What am I, English?" Tony retorted. Then he shrugged. "Yea, why not."

They sat and talked together until Howard came into the door out of breath.

"You called?" he said to Steve. Then he froze.

"Hi," Tony said, waving.

"I recognize you," Howard said. "But weren't you a bit...see through last time? What's going on?" He looked at Steve for clarification.

"I was in a coma, not dead. I was saved by a friend who has access to vibranium. My arm is a bit robotic-like, but the rest of me is good," Tony explained.

"And this is..." Howard trailed off, looking at Morgan.

"Your granddaughter," Tony said softly. Howard's eyes widened.

"You brought her to meet me?" he asked. "Oh, wow. Oh. Hi. I...I'm your grandpa."

"I'm Morgan," she said. He hugged her tightly then.

"How's Bucky?" Steve asked while Morgan and Howard started chatting.

"He's all right. I told him what we did here for him. He was touched."

"I'm glad he knows we're all right here," Steve said. "Thank you for telling him. I was afraid to in case I came back and he wasn't here still."

"Yea, well...he's all right," Tony said. They smiled at each other. Then Tony watched his father interact with his daughter. Everything finally felt complete. He'd seen who he wanted to see, and now he could carry on with life, precious life.

"How long can we stay?" Morgan asked him.

"As long as you want," Tony answered.

"Let's go for a drive," Howard suggested.

"Sure," Tony agreed. He gave Steve one last hug before they left.

"Don't be a stranger," Steve grinned.

"Right back at ya," Tony saluted. Then they went out into the sunshine, knowing that although the time they had together was short, it was so very worth it.

...

"I hate to see you go," Howard said as they got ready to jump back to the future. They had spent the whole afternoon together. Howard had shown Morgan his work and chatted about her interests that were the same as his he discovered. Tony laughed at how in awe Howard was with Morgan.

"We can come back, right Dad?" Morgan asked.

"Sure, why not?" Tony agreed. He was pretty sure Hank Pym would have made more particles after learning about the time heist.

"Maybe I'll come check out what your time line is all about," Howard teased.

"It might give you a stroke," Tony joked back. Howard hugged them both then.

"Thank you. I'm glad we had this time together."

"Us too," Morgan smiled.

"Take care, Dad," Tony said. He looked at Morgan. "Ready?"

"Yup," she nodded.

"Love you 3,000!" they both shouted, making Howard laugh before they disappeared.

...

"Where were you guys?" Pepper asked when they finally got home.

"Oh, you know, here and there," Tony answered, giving her a kiss.

"Hi Peter," Pepper said, hugging him too. Matt was already there, and he hugged Morgan before shaking Tony's hand.

"Peter is gonna stay here with us for a bit," Tony told her. Peter was still in a bit of shock, but he was smiling. Tony was glad to see him happy again.

"Okay. I'll make up the guest room for him," Pepper smiled. He followed her as the others sat and chatted together. Happy was cooking and cursing every now and then as something splattered on him or dropped onto the floor. He was making Tony's favorite meal.

"It's good to be back here," Tony said, his arm around Pepper.

"Are you going to be Iron Man again?" Pepper asked, worried. She had been thinking about it all day. Surely he wouldn't now that things were at peace, for now.

"No," Tony answered. She looked visibly relieved at this.

"Why not?" she asked anyway.

"Because I'm retired. Let the others defend the world. I just want to be with my family."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," she said, kissing him again.

"I know. I have all that I need. No more missions. No more danger. Just us and a normal life."

"Dad! I wanna show Matt the suit!"

"Right," Tony sighed. "Well, sort of normal life."

"Go on," Pepper laughed. He gave her one last squeeze before heading to the others. He put his arm around Peter as they walked together, Matt and Morgan in front talking excitedly. This was his life, and he loved it. He would never risk losing it again, not on his watch.

**The End**

* * *

**Stay tuned for the extra chapters! Thank you again to those who have reviewed! **


	15. Bonus Chapter: Steve's Second Return

**Bonus Chapter: Steve's Second Return **

"Are you sure you wanna go back?" Bruce asked. Steve looked at him as though he was nuts.

"Of course I want to go back," he answered. "If I hadn't been sent back, I wouldn't be here."

"I know. It's just...we're all gonna really miss you," Bruce said sadly. He hated losing so many friends in one go.

"I get it," Steve said, softening his brow. "I do. I'm going to miss you guys too, but I want to be with Peggy."

"Of course," Bruce nodded. He thought about Elizabeth. He still missed her at times too. And Nat. That one still hurt.

"All right," Steve smiled. He gave everyone last hugs, and Bucky he held onto a bit tighter. He hadn't told him that he saved his life. He was worried that it didn't stick, and he didn't want to give Bucky news that wasn't true.

"At least we got a proper goodbye this time," Bruce said, smiling weakly.

"Yea. Sorry about that, guys," Steve apologized. He got up onto the platform and waited. Bruce got everything ready, and Steve gave them all one last look.

"Take care!" they called as he waved. Then he was gone.

"Well," Bruce said. "That was...sad."

"He's happy. That's what matters," Bucky commented. Sam nodded. Then Sam caught sight of someone standing and watching them. It was a rather old looking man, and he kind of looked like...

_"Steve?"_

The old man smiled.

...

Steve opened his eyes when the whirling stopped. He found himself standing outside of Peggy's house. He stood to get his bearings first. He was really back. He wasn't returning to the future this time. He felt excited. He hurried towards the house, glad it was dark so no one could see him. He knocked rapidly, his heart beating hard. The door was yanked open, and Peggy's face appeared.

"Steve!" she gasped.

"Hi, love," he said back, giving her a slow smile. She pulled him inside and shut the door.

"You're all right?" she asked. She searched the place where he had been shot and found the stitches. She touched them gingerly.

"Thanks to you," he answered. "You saved me by sending me back."

"I didn't think you'd come back," she said, starting to tear up.

"Why ever not?" he asked, concerned.

"Well...you've got a good life in the future. What is there here for you?"

"You don't know?" he asked, surprised.

"You can have any girl," she dismissed, knowing he was going to say he came for her. She didn't think she was all that important.

"Oh no," he said, stepping towards her and putting his hand on her cheek. "There is no other girl out there for me but you, Peggy."

"Oh," she said, her eyes shining. He bent to kiss her softly, and she pressed into him.

"Whoa, too much," a voice said, making them jump back apart. Steve looked at the person standing in the hallway.

"Bucky!" he cried, happy.

"Hey," Bucky grinned. "I finally got told what the hell was going on. That was some real crazy shit!"

"I know, I know," Steve laughed. "But I'm back, and we can carry on like normal."

"You think HYDRA won't come after me again once they find me?" Bucky asked. "Cos I do."

"You can stay here hidden," Peggy said right away. "We won't let anyone take you away again."

"And I should stay hidden too," Steve noted. "Hey, we can be the Hidden Boys."

"I don't fancy being cooped up in a house all day," Bucky grimaced.

"We can work around that," Steve promised.

"I can make some disguises," Peggy smiled.

"Please don't make me a woman," Bucky begged. She laughed out loud.

"All right, I won't," she agreed.

"I will let you two continue with...that," Bucky said, gesturing with his hand in a circle and smirking. "I'll be outside. Hidden of course."

"Okay," Steve nodded. Bucky barely had the door shut when Peggy grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the bedroom.

...

"It's a great day to be alive," Bucky said the next day. He and Steve were side by side in Peggy's back yard watching the wind blow leaves around. It felt strange to just sit and enjoy something so simple without worrying about a war, death, or Thanos. It was peaceful.

"Sure is."

"So what is my future self like?" Bucky asked. "Assuming I'm still alive that is."

"You're about the same, but you were brainwashed badly. You were coming along before everything happened. Then I left."

"Ouch. I'm sure future me was a little miffed you bailed on me," Bucky laughed.

"No, he understood."

"Did you tell him about me?"

"No. I wasn't sure if it would change by the time I got back."

"Probably for the best."

"Maybe."

"I can't thank you enough for rescuing me. I'm glad I don't have to endure that horror again."

"You would have done it for me, Buck," Steve told him. Bucky nodded and smiled. He would. They were best friends.

They sat in silence for a bit.

"I gotta find something to do with my life, Steve," Bucky said after a while. "I can't just sit around invisible forever."

"I know. We will figure something out."

He bumped his shoulder into Bucky's, making his friend chuckle and bump him back. Steve was glad of his decision to come back here. He got a second chance, and he was pretty sure most people, if they had the chance to do it over, would do the same thing. He had no regrets. And perhaps one day he would see his friends again.

* * *

**Stay tuned for the bonus chapter of Nat's Goodbye!  
**


	16. Bonus Chapter: Nat's Goodbye

**Bonus Chapter: Nat's Goodbye **

Natasha got to Clint's place and immediately felt so much emotion she choked. How was she going to do this? How could she say goodbye to a friend so precious as Clint? It seemed impossible. Yet, she couldn't leave him with the memory of her falling to her death as the only goodbye. She had to give him something better. She had been given this chance, and she wasn't going to waste it.

"Dad!" Nathaniel called from the yard. Nat held her breath as Clint came into view.

"Yea, buddy?"

"I threw my frisbee into the tree again."

"Really, Nate?" Clint sighed, exasperated.

"Sorry."

"It's all right. Just no more when I get it down, okay? I prefer to stay on the ground," Clint said, ruffling his son's hair. Nat smiled, watching the interaction. He looked as though he was in pain, which she knew he was. It was emotional pain from losing her and Tony, she just knew it. It was probably also pain from knowing who he became after losing his family, but she hoped he realized that people can be forgiven, and people can change.

"Here we go," Clint said, pulling himself up into the branches. He reached the frisbee and tossed it down, making Nate whoop with joy. Clint came out of the tree, losing his grip near the end and crash landing hard onto the ground.

"Dad?!" Nate called, rushing over.

"I'm all right," Clint wheezed. "Just a little winded." He sat up, rubbing his back.

"Play with me?" Nate asked hopefully.

"Maybe later, kiddo. I gotta do some work," Clint said.

"Okay," Nate agreed reluctantly. He ran off, and Clint got to his feet. Nat followed him into the house where she found Lila and Laura starting on dinner and Cooper in the living room playing a video game.

"You okay?" Laura asked Clint, seeing him limp a little.

"Oh, yea. I'm fine," he dismissed. "I'm just gonna be in my office for a bit."

Office? Since when did Clint have an office? Nat wondered.

"I'll call you for supper," Laura promised. Clint kissed the side of her head and gave Lila a pinch as he passed her, making her yelp and swat back at him. Laughing, Clint went into the back room of the house and shut the door. Nat watched him sink into the chair and put his head into his hands.

"I can't do it, Nat," he said suddenly, making her jump. Could he see her?

"Clint?" she asked.

"I can't do it. Why didn't you let me jump? I have so much guilt, and I can't bear it," he went on.

"Can you hear me?" she asked. He didn't respond. He looked out the window instead, chin on his palm. Determined, she moved over to the desk. She saw a pad of paper, and she looked for a pen.

"I'd give anything to have you here with us again," Clint said, and Nat knocked over the pens, making him jump back.

"Whoa!" he cried. He looked a little scared as he looked around the room. Nat mustered all her emotions, and she picked up the pen and wrote.

**I'm here.**

"Hey, hey," Clint said, seeing the pen move with no one holding it. "What's going on?"

**It's me. Nat.**

"Nat?" he asked, looking at her but not seeing her. "Okay, you're freaking me out whoever this is."

**It's Nat**, she wrote. **Last words I said to you were "It's okay."**

Clint sat there frozen. He could barely comprehend what was happening. He blinked.

"Nat?" he asked weakly.

**Yes.**

"Holy shit," he breathed. "How are you doing that?"

**Long story.**

"Okay. How are you even here?"

**Even longer story.**

"But you're dead?"

**Yes.**

"Oh I get it. The movie Ghost. You're using your emotions to move that pen, aren't you?" Clint asked, suddenly realizing.

**We got a live one, folks.**

"Right," Clint chuckled. Nat felt good to see him smile.

**I'm okay, Clint. Really.**

"Are you?"

**Yea. I don't have any regrets. I'm at peace knowing my family is safe.**

"Except for Tony," Clint sighed.

**I saw him. He's all right. He is hanging out with his daughter.**

"He is?"

**Yea. I don't know if he will pass on.**

"So how do you pass on?"

**You do your unfinished business. Mine is you.**

"What about me?"

**Making sure you're okay.**

Clint looked sad at this point. He inhaled and exhaled a few times.

"I'm not really okay."

**I know.**

"I don't know if I can be okay ever again."

**You will. I have faith in you.**

"You're really okay?"

**Yes, Clint. I'm really okay.**

"Well, then if you're okay, then I have to be okay," he chuckled. "Cos you're one of the strongest people I know, so if you can do it, then so can I."

**That's the spirit :)**

"God, I miss you."

**I miss you too. You'll be okay, Clint. I know it.**

"Thank you for saying that," he smiled. "I wish I could see you."

**I look pretty much the same as the last time you saw me.**

"I don't want to say goodbye," Clint said.

**Me either, but it's okay. It's not goodbye forever, just goodbye for now.**

"I like that," Clint smiled. "Okay. It's goodbye for now."

**Take care, Clint.**

"Wait, are you leaving?" he asked. "Nat?"

There was no response. He watched the pen carefully, but it didn't move.

"Nat?"

"Honey, are you okay?" Laura asked, poking her head in the door. Clint looked up at her. Oddly enough, he didn't feel like crying. He felt at peace.

"I'm okay," he answered. It was the truth. He felt a little okay, more okay than he did earlier. She smiled and left, and he looked down at the paper again, seeing Nat's handwriting. He pulled the sheets off and tucked them into a safe spot in the drawer. He felt honored that she came to say goodbye, to tell him she was okay. Despite everything, it made him feel just a little bit better. And besides, he would indeed see her again one day.


End file.
